Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar was called on by different MPAs at his office here on Tuesday. Law Minister Raja Basharat was also present in the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, the MPAs expressed their complete confidence over the leadership of chief minister and said that they are firmly standing with him. We are the lieutenants of Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as yours and would be standing with you in the journey of public service. It is our luck that a person like you is our chief minister, they added.
Usman Buzdar on the occasion said that the post of the chief minister is meant for public service. The Punjab Assembly has made record legislation in a short span of time. The government is fully committed to serving the masses and no one will be allowed to hinder it. The journey of public service will be continued as well as the meetings with assembly members. Your respect is my honour, he added.
The MPAs who called on chief minister included Ghazanfer Abbas, Muhammad Amir Anayyat Shahani, Muhammad Ahsan Jahangir, Sahibzada Ghazain Abbasi, Taimoor Ali Lali, Kh. M. Dawood Sulemani, Ghazanfar Abbas Shah, Sardar M. Mohuuddin Khan Khosa, Sardar Shahabuddin Khan and M. Ijaz Hussain.
Meanwhile, PTI Central Punjab President Ijaz Chaudary called on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office on Tuesday and discussed party matters and political situation. Both strongly condemned continued curfew in Indian Occupied Kashmir, Indian cruelties against the Kashmiri people and controversial citizenship (amendment) act. Talking on this occasion, the chief minister said that the whole of India is agitating against the controversial act which is most cruel some and negation of all norms of human rights. He emphasised that the Indian government should restore the fundamental rights of the Muslims by abrogating this controversial law. He regretted that the worst history of cruelties against the Kashmiri people, along with continued curfew in Occupied Kashmir, has been written. Kashmir has special relations with Pakistan and Pakistan is incomplete without the Kashmir, he added. India cannot continue its occupation of Kashmir through brutality and torture and it is facing shame at every level. Usman Buzdar said that workers are the asset of PTI and their genuine grievance would be redressed on a priority basis. The proposals of party office-bearers will be given importance and we will jointly move forward in the journey of public service. He regretted that the past governments increased problems of the people. Those who remained busy in jugglery have become a part of history, he added. Now, only work is done and the development work, done during the last 15 months, is unique, he added. Ijaz Chaudhary said that Kashmir is a jugular vein of Pakistan and India is showing cunningness on Kashmir issue. The PTI has become the most popular party under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The decisions made with mutual consultation will bear good results.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has congratulated the nation on the eve of New Year and said that Pakistan will be economically stable, peaceful and strengthened in 2020. In a message, he said that 2020 will herald a prosperous future and would lay the foundation of a developed and peaceful Pakistan. We will have to calculate our successes and failures while welcoming the new year, he added. The foundation of durable development was laid in 2019 and this journey will be accelerated in 2020. He said that no stone has been left unturned in public service despite criticism for the sake of criticism. We spoke less and worked more while opposition remained busy in raising hollow slogans, he said. 2020 is a year of completing promises made with the people. The new year will bring real change and people will feel a positive transition in their lives, he added. The government will continue working for making Pakistan a welfare state. We pray that 2020 may prove a year of peace, stability and prosperity for the people of Pakistan, concluded the chief minister.
Buzdar directed to ensure best security arrangements in connection with the New Year and added that action should be initiated against the elements involved in the aerial firing. The police should take every possible step for the protection of life and property of the people, he added. While issuing directions to the cabinet committee on law and order, the chief minister said that the rule of law should be ensured in the province and action should be initiated against those taking the law into their hands. Effective steps should also be taken to stop one-wheeling, he added.
Usman Buzdar also presided over a meeting at his office here on Tuesday in which cleanliness arrangements in Lahore city and the proposed system of the future were reviewed. The chief minister issued necessary directions concerning the cleanliness of the city and added that the city should appear neat and clean as the provision of clean atmosphere to the citizens is the responsibility of the government. The citizens should not face any difficulty with regard to cleanliness and the necessary resources should be utilized to collect solid waste from the roads. No compromise will be made on cleanliness arrangements, he added. There should be no problem with regard to cleanliness arrangements in the city and the solid waste should be properly disposed of, he added. The chief minister directed that identification of land for new landfill site should be completed soon and the process of hiring consultant should also be completed at the earliest. There should be an effective substitute system for cleanliness after the expiry of the contract with foreign companies, he added. After the contract, the disposal of solid waste should be performed better than earlier, he said. He asked the concerned officials to start devising the plan immediately. He said that Lahore Waste Management Company should devise a temporary system of cleanliness till the award of the new contract and relevant rules and regulations should also be followed in all matters for the new contract. Secretary Local Government briefed that the LWMC board has approved the hiring of consultant whole will devise a complete business model of cleanliness. Meanwhile, 13 bids have been submitted for pre-qualification of contractors. Chairman LWMC assured to deliver with regard to the cleanliness of the city. Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht, Chief Secretary, administrative secretaries and others attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, on the directions of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab government has approved a special grant for rural ambulance service. The decision has been made in the meeting of the cabinet committee on finance and development to release the supplementary grant worth 90 crore rupees. In a statement, the chief minister said that Punjab government is providing funds for 450 ambulances to take pregnant women to hospitals. This ambulance service is very vital for timely transportation of such women to hospitals, he added. A round-the-clock ambulance service is working to take pregnant women from their houses to gyne emergencies. More than 50 thousand pregnant women are transported to hospitals every month through this ambulance service, he said. The ambulance facility can be acquired by calling at helpline 1034 and call agent informs the ambulance driver about the address of patient through google map. This year, nine lac and 37 thousand patients/ pregnant women have been provided emergency ambulance service facilities, he concluded.
