Daily Times

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired 20th meeting of the provincial cabinet to discuss and decide on major agenda items.

The provincial cabinet strongly condemned brutal violence and attacks on police and rangers during PTI’s violent protest on November 24, and offered Fateha for the security personnel martyred in the protest.

The cabinet approved special packages for those martyred and injured in the protest. These packages include a total of Rs 29 million for the martyred constable of Punjab Police, a Rs 01 million each for police and rangers personnel injured in the brutal violence of PTI workers.

The CM said that 172 police personnel were injured during the brutal protest of PTI workers, most of them are in critical condition. She said it is shameful to see the condition of the injured personnel undergoing treatment at CMH Rawalpindi, and to note that their killers are our people. She highlighted seeing the violence, the brutality of PTI workers is evident.

The CM said the security personnel were beaten by groups with nailed sticks and rifle butts, adding that the skulls, legs and arms of the personnel undergoing treatment at CMH Rawalpindi were fractured due to the merciless violence of PTI workers’ mob. The SP was beaten so mercilessly with nailed sticks that his skull and brain were damaged and his eye was swollen, she said.

A special force of 10,000 trained security personnel will be established in Punjab to combat riots. Attacks on Dera Ghazi Khan and Mianwali check posts have increased. She directed to improve the security arrangements.

The provincial cabinet approved amendments to laws to declare kite flying a non-bailable offense, besides the approval of Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority Rules 2024. It also gave approval of the formal establishment of Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority, besides granting powers of hearing officers to assistant commissioners under PERA.

The cabinet congratulated Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and her team for effectively dealing with the issues of climate change and smog. The CM said, “Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and her team worked on war footing to deal with smog.”

The cabinet was briefed that in a survey by the renowned organization Earth People, 63 percent of the respondents appreciated the efforts of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. It was also apprised that the farmers in Punjab have purchased agricultural inputs worth Rs 25 billion through Kisan Cards.

Farmers purchased DAP fertilizer worth Rs 16 billion through Kisan Card, she said. For the first time, there was neither shortage of fertilizer nor increase in its prices in Punjab, she mentioned. Wheat sowing target has been set at 16.6 million acres in Punjab, 87percent of which is complete, she informed. First and unique minority card of its kind will be launched in Punjab, funds have been approved. Through the card, quarterly assistance will be given to 50,000 poor minority families across Punjab.

Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora thanked the Chief Minister for her remarkable arrangements for Guru Nanak Jayanti. He said,”Sikh pilgrims returned chanting slogans of Pakistan Zindabad.” Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed the authorities concerned to take steps to establish 3 motels in Nankana Sahib.

The provincial cabinet approved interest-free loan project for the establishment of vehicle inspection and certification station. It decided to restart Horse and Cattle Show in Punjab, and approved Rs 1.5 billion for the purpose. It also allowed Punjab Police to train 210 Iraqi police officers and officials.

The cabinet approved to provide latest machinery to improve performance of local bodies across Punjab. It also approved to amend Local Government Act and Punjab Local Government Works Rules, besides granting approval to build 3 three-storey towers for government employees in Chaubarji Garden.

The chief minister sought a loan plan for allocating plots and houses to government employees, besides approving Foundational Learning Policy Punjab 2024 for spoken English and reading hours in government schools of Punjab. The provincial cabinet approved an amount of Rs 2.58 billion to establish a model market in every district of Punjab, besides approving Rs 2.5 billion for the Chief Minister Punjab Transplant Program to transplant liver, kidney, bone marrow and other organs across Punjab.

It also approved that Punjab will provide MRI to Gilgit-Baltistan, besides providing a laboratory. It approved launching a tourism internship program, and conducting evening classes in nursing colleges of Punjab.

The cabinet approved recruitment on 276 technical posts of Punjab Agriculture Food and Drug Authority, besides approving to replace old and obsolete equipment of Punjab Forensic Science Authority. It also gave approval for recruitment on 464 vacant posts in Border Military Police and Baloch Levy after 42 years.

The provincial cabinet approved to establish new Board of Management of 8 hospitals. It also gave approval to include 43 development projects of Kasur district in the Annual Development Program. Approval for the East West Water Treatment Plant project in Faisalabad was also approved by the cabinet, besides approving supplementary grant of Rs. 192 million for the rehabilitation of Tollington Market in Lahore. It also approved the inclusion of 87 incomplete development projects across Punjab in the Annual Development Program, besides approving amendment to Public Private Partnership Act 2024, and Advertisement Policy 2024.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to take all-out measures to strictly punish the protestors who martyred and injured the personnel of law enforcement agencies and damaged public properties during the sit-ins in Islamabad.

The prime minister, chairing the meeting of the task force formed to investigate the riots in the November 24 sit-in in the federal capital, said that the progress on legal action against the rioters would be reviewed weekly.

The prime minister said that a world-class anti-riot force would be raised in the country to meet the contemporary requirements. By establishing a forensic lab, the Islamabad Safe City would be upgraded to international standards for which all necessary resources would be utilized.

In the briefing, the prime minister was told that the weapons, cartridges, shells and other pieces of evidence had been collected from the crime scene those would be sent for forensic analysis.

The identification process of the rioters is also being carried out swiftly, who would later be produced before courts.

Separately, Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched Pakistan’s biggest “Suthra Punjab” program and also set target of Zero Waste Punjab in three months.

She while addressing the launching ceremony of “Suthra Punjab”, expressed her determination to achieve target of Zero Waste Punjab in three months. She said, “For the first time, the Punjab government has launched a program to clean cities and villages on uniformity basis. We thank Allah Almighty for launching ‘Suthra Punjab’ program across the province. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was felt overjoyed to hear about the launching of Suthra Punjab program. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif appreciated the uniform cleaning program of cities and villages.”