When a family loses someone in a public hospital, grief has rarely been their only burden. For years, the task of transporting a body home fell to private ambulance operators who charged whatever they could – with no regulation, no oversight and no alternative. Bereaved families, often in shock, had little choice but to pay. In a country increasingly determined to close the distance between citizen and state, addressing such moments of need has become a defining measure of meaningful governance. Punjab has moved to end that practice. On April 13, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched the Mayyat Transfer Service – a government-run, entirely free deceased transport program that is the first of its kind in Pakistan’s history. The announcement was made in the provincial capital Lahore and drew immediate attention not just for what it offers, but for what it represents: a provincial government choosing to show up at one of the most painful intersections of poverty and loss.
The program operates through Rescue 1122, Punjab’s well-regarded emergency response authority – an institution that has earned public trust through years of professional disaster and accident response. Families access the service simply by dialing 1122. Purpose-built ambulances, staffed by uniformed staff trained in respectful handling, will be stationed at public hospitals around the clock. The service covers transport of the deceased from hospital to home, transfers to morgues when required and dedicated help desks at each participating hospital. A smart rescue management and dispatch system will enable real-time tracking and deployment – a technological layer that signals a commitment to accountability alongside compassion. Staff have also been directed to offer counseling and emotional support to bereaved families on-site, an acknowledgement that the state’s role here extends well beyond logistics.
If Punjab’s model proves effective – if ambulances arrive on time, if staff behave with the dignity the program promises and if the service reaches families in smaller
towns and villages as readily as it does in Lahore — it could serve as a template for similar programs in Sindh, KPK and Balochistan.
The chief minister was explicit that the service must remain unconditional. She directed Rescue 1122 staff to refuse payment even if families voluntarily offered it – a firm instruction that speaks to a real and recurring anxiety in public service delivery, where well-intentioned programs have historically drifted toward informal fee collection. By embedding the refusal of payment into official directives from the outset, the Punjab government is attempting to close that door before it opens.
The gap this service fills has long been a quiet injustice. In the absence of any public alternative, private transporters set their own prices – often exploiting families at their most vulnerable. There was no regulated tariff, no complaint mechanism and no government-run option to turn to. For lower-income families in particular, this was a cruelty compounded by tragedy: the first negotiation after losing a loved one was with a stranger over the price of bringing them home. Health Minister Salman Rafiq described the initiative as a meaningful step toward sharing the grief of citizens and rebuilding trust between the state and the public. The framing matters – this is being positioned not merely as a logistics solution, but as an act of governance grounded in empathy.
The service launched in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi with a stated commitment to extend coverage to every tehsil across Punjab by June 2026. That is an ambitious timeline. Punjab is home to roughly 130 million people and comprises dozens of tehsils spread across urban centers and remote rural districts. DG Rescue 1122 Rizwan Naseer said the smart dispatch system will enable real-time monitoring and ensure operational accountability – addressing a chronic weakness in public service delivery. How well the infrastructure holds up as the program moves beyond its three launch cities will be closely watched.
The Mayyat Transfer Service builds on earlier efforts by the Punjab government to ensure dignity in citizens’ final moments. The Shehr-e-Khamoshan initiative, launched in 2017, introduced model graveyards with essential facilities. Together, these reforms reflect a broader vision that the state’s responsibility extends beyond life, upholding respect even after death.
Across much of Pakistan, deceased transport remains entirely privatized and unregulated. If Punjab’s model proves effective – if ambulances arrive on time, if staff behave with the dignity the program promises and if the service reaches families in smaller towns and villages as readily as it does in Lahore – it could serve as a template for similar programs in Sindh, KPK and Balochistan. The idea itself is not complicated. The execution, at scale, always is. But the principle this initiative establishes – that the state owes its citizens dignity not just in life but in death – is one worth building on.
The writer is a Lahore-based public policy analyst and can be reached at qudratu @gmail.com