SARGODHA: The Department of Excise and Taxation will begin collecting property tax at the DC rate across Punjab starting Jan 1. Under this new system, tax will not apply to houses worth up to Rs5 million. It will become mandatory to enter the biometric system during vehicle transfers. However, Cantonment boards will not have the authority to collect professional tax. Sargodha Excise Director Muhammad Mushtaq Faridi said that in the first four months of this financial year, the division recovered Rs503.98 million. This includes Rs253.045 million from property tax, with Sargodha district contributing Rs309.196 million, Khushab Rs94.582 million, Mianwali Rs54.77 million, and Bhakkar Rs45.425 million. GANG HELD: After intercepting a smuggling attempt involving alcohol disguised as medicine, the police arrested a five-member gang. The police recovered 690 liters of alcohol and seized three vehicles involved in the operation. A case was registered at the Satellite Town police station. The suspects, hailing from Lahore, Faisalabad and Sargodha, were allegedly supplying illicit liquor across various districts of Punjab. POWER THEFT: A case was registered against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Shafqat Abbas Awan for allegedly stealing electricity at his residence in Chak 35 NB. According to a Faisalabad Electric Supply Company team, Mr Awan had tampered with the electricity meter by creating a hole to bypass the system. SEMINAR: The Department of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Sargodha organised a seminar on ‘Journalistic Ethics’, featuring Managing Director of the Associated Press of Pakistan Muhammad Asim Khichi as chief guest. The seminar aimed at engaging the local media community, with participants, including television and newspaper journalists from Sargodha division, as well as students from the media studies department. Mr Khichi highlighted the importance of objective, impartial and fact-based journalism. He stressed the growing need for investigative journalism and encouraged attendees to develop modern skills necessary for the evolving media landscape, including artificial intelligence, data journalism, visual storytelling, and predictive journalism. Responding to questions on combating disinformation, Mr Khichi emphasized the need to verify information directly from reliable sources to ensure accuracy. He also noted that various government bodies, journalist associations, and media councils are working to train journalists in detecting and countering fake news. Dr Mudassar Hussain Shah, chairman of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, announced a new partnership between the University of Sargodha and APP aimed at strengthening the capacity of journalists in the region.