Tag: Punjab govt

  • Punjab govt bans gatherings; motorway closure announced

    Punjab govt bans gatherings; motorway closure announced

    As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gears up for its nationwide November 24 protest and march on Islamabad, the Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the province for three days.

    Motorway Police, on the other hand, has announced closure of the road network for ‘maintenance’.

    In a notification issued Friday, the provincial government said that Section 144 will continue to remain in effect from Nov 23 till Nov 25, leading to restrictions on public gatherings, protests, rallies and processions.

    Earlier, a notification pertaining to imposition of Section 144 in Islamabad was also issued. Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) troops were deployed in Rawalpindi, Attock and Jhelum as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that no sit-in will be permitted in the federal capital.

    “I want no shop, business, or road to be closed,” Naqvi said on the potential closure of businesses during PTI’s protest.

    Motorways Closure

    Meanwhile, Motorway Police announced the closure of all motorways on Friday (today) at 8 pm, citing maintenance work.

    Major motorways, including Pindi Bhattian to Multan M4, Sialkot to Lahore M11, Dera Ismail Khan to Hakla M14, Lahore to Islamabad M2 and Peshawar to Islamabad M1, will remain closed until further notice, motorway authority said in a statement.

    The closures and imposition of Section 144 come two days ahead of PTI’s “final and decisive” protest for the release of party founder Imran Khan, who has been behind bars for over a year in Rawalpindi.

    While PTI is determined to hold “peaceful demonstrations”, the government has denied any permission to the former ruling party in this regard.

    “Forty-one funerals have been held there [KP], and here they are coming to Islamabad for protest. The KP government itself is assaulting the capital,” Interior Minister Naqvi said Friday.

    Ruling out the possibility of negotiations with the PTI, he said there was no room for talks if the party leadership was holding sit-ins and protests. “On one hand they talk about protests, and on the other, they talk about negotiations.”

    Mobile network & internet suspension

    On Thursday, it was reported that the federal government has announced the partial suspension of internet and mobile services in Islamabad and areas of KP and Punjab in light of said protests.

    A private media outlet reported that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will activate firewall for social media blocking besides suspending mobile internet service on November 23.

    The report also quoted sources as claiming that internet and mobile services might be suspended at certain locations at any time. The shutdown could result in users being unable to download audio and videos from social media apps.

  • No rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, Punjab govt notifies PTI

    No rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, Punjab govt notifies PTI

    The Punjab government has decided to allow Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a rally in Lahore but not at the Greater Iqbal Park at Minar-e-Pakistan.

    In a high-level district intelligence committee meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Lahore, various suggestions were floated whether to allow PTI to hold a rally in Lahore or not, Geo News reported.

    DC Lahore also sought a security report from Punjab police.

    The Lahore High Court, while rejecting an appeal for the suspension of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally scheduled on September 21 in Lahore, directed the DC on Friday to decide the venue for the rally by 5 PM today.

    Justice Tariq Nadeem lamented, “All the bureaucracy has left their work to be in the court today; the world has progressed so much. What message are we giving to the world?”

  • ‘It is not short-term relief but two months’: CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz

    ‘It is not short-term relief but two months’: CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has strongly criticised Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah’s remarks against the Punjab government’s decision to raise electricity prices, calling it “foolish.”

    On Monday, while addressing a ceremony, Murad Ali Shah said that such “strange announcements” put them (Sindh govt) in a fix. “We (Sindh government) find it difficult how to respond to these foolish statements. But I don’t want to get into politics,” he added.

    Likewise, another Sindh minister, Saeed Ghani, also questioned the Punjab government’s policy, asking, “What will happen after two months of relief to the people of Punjab?”

    However, Maryam Nawaz expressed disbelief at the Sindh CM’s comments, remarking, “I laughed when I heard someone say it’s foolish to reduce electricity prices. Isn’t it foolish to pocket money from corruption and spend it on protocol, planes, helicopters, and convoys while denying relief to the public?”

    Last week, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif announced a relief package for the people of Punjab: Rs 14 per unit of electricity will be reduced for two months.

  • International Journalists visit Jaranwala on the invitation of Mohsin Naqvi

    International Journalists visit Jaranwala on the invitation of Mohsin Naqvi

    The Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, invited international journalists to Jaranwala on Thursday. The small town near Faisalabad was the site of a riot in August in which armed mobs burnt the homes and churches of the Christian community.

    The visit aimed to provide the journalists with an opportunity to observe the administration’s endeavors in assisting the Christian families impacted by the tragic events of August 18.
    Faisalabad Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Nayar Sheikh and CPO Muhammad Ali Zia provided an overview of the efforts undertaken to support the affected families, the process of restoring churches, and the transfer of churches to the administration.
    Journalists learned that each impacted household received a financial grant of Rs2 million and had the damaged electricity and gas meters in their homes replaced.
    Christian students were able to return to their educational institutions after receiving support in the form of school bags, textbooks, uniforms, and writing materials. Additionally, jobless workers from the private industrial sector were successfully rehired with the cooperation of their employers.

    The visiting media reporters included representatives from the Washington Post, BBC, AFP, Arab News, Russia Today, and bureau chiefs of different international news agencies in Islamabad.

  • No social media allowed for Punjab Government employees

    No social media allowed for Punjab Government employees

    The Services and General Administration Department Punjab has issued a letter to government officers restricting them from expressing their personal opinions on social media and commenting on conventional as well as social media.

    In view of the increasing trend of using social media among newly recruited government officers, the Punjab government has imposed a ban on Grade 17 officers, including assistant commissioners, on expressing their opinions on social media and media.
    The letter says that according to the civil services rules, giving statements in the media and social media based on one’s personal opinion is a violation of the rules.

    The letter says, “The young officers of PAS/PMS in BS-17, posted against various slots in the field as well as in the Secretariat, are considered as the face of the Provincial Government. However, it has been observed with grave-concern that these officers often engage themselves with social media i.e. Websites, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microblogging, TikTok, YouTube etc, without taking into consideration of its fall out amongst public at large, especially using the social media in official capacity.”

    It further states, “Often, the views/ comments/ conduct/ personal opinion of the officers, may either harm the national security; or offend public order, decency or morality; or amount to contempt of court or defamation or incitement to an offence; or propagate sectarian creeds and capable of embarrassing the government, which is tantamount to misconduct and inefficiency under the rules.”

    It also warned that strict action will be taken against those violating the instructions.

  • Imran Khan asked to pay Rs36 lac luxury house tax

    Punjab Excise and Taxation Department sent a notice on Thursday to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, asking him to pay luxury tax on his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

    The notice said, “The Government of Punjab has levied Luxury House Tax on houses with land areas of two kanals.”

    He was asked to clear arrears under luxury tax amounting to Rs3.6 million.

    The notice was addressed to his late mother Shaukat Khanum.

    Furthermore, the department has warned that if the dues are not cleared within a week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be approached in this regard.

    The notice has been sent as the date for Punjab elections, May 14, looms nearer.

  • All weapons recovered from Imran’s Zaman Park residence are illegal, says police

    The Lahore police has said that all the weapons that were recovered by the authorities from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park are “unlicensed and illegal”.

    On March 20, Punjab Police raided Khan’s Zaman Park home, taking apart the entrance gate with a crane and entering the house, stating that they had search warrants.

    At the time, Khan was on his way to Islamabad to appear before a court in the Toshkhana case. He said that his wife Bushra Bibi was alone at home.

    The police said at least 13 SMGs, 7 Kalashnikovs, and 340 bullets were recovered from Zaman Park.

    Earlier, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that police found 16 rifles, arms, bombs and a bomb-making factory in Zaman Park.

  • How many chiefs of police changed in Punjab during IK’s government?

    How many chiefs of police changed in Punjab during IK’s government?

    Inspector-General (IG) of Punjab police, Faisal Shahkar, has relinquished his charge after less than six months in the office.

    Faisal Shahkar was appointed as the IG by the Punjab government in July, replacing Rao Sardar Ali Khan who was the police chief during Hamza Shehbaz’s tenure as Chief Minster.

    Prior to this, Sardar Ali Khan served as the IGP for almost a year. Following is the timeline of the officers who served as the IGP while Imran Khan was the Prime Minister (PM).

    Dr Syed Kaleem Imam (June 2018-September 2018)

    Dr Imran was appointed in June 2018 and left office in September of that year. He was removed from the post one month after Khan appointed Usman Buzdar as CM of Punjab.

    Muhammad Tahir (September 2018-October 2018)

    After Kaleem Imam, Muhammad Tahir remained in the office for a month.

    Amjad Javed Saleemi (October 2018-April 2019)

    Saleemi served for six months as the police chief of the province.

    Capt. (R) Arif Nawaz Khan (April 2019- November 2019)

    Captain Khan left the office after seven months of being in charge.

    Shoaib Dastgir (November 2019-September 2020)

    Dastgir remained IGP for almost ten months.

    Inam Ghani (September 2020- September 2021)

    During the PTI’s government, Ghani held the IGP post for a year.

    Sardar Ali Khan (Septmeber 2021-July 2022)

    Sardar Ali was replaced by Shahkar.

    This information has been taken from the Punjab police website.

  • Punjab govt buries abandoned bodies, says they are not of Baloch missing persons

    Punjab govt buries abandoned bodies, says they are not of Baloch missing persons

    The Punjab government revealed on Wednesday that the abandoned bodies that were found on the roof of Nishtar Hospital’s mortuary in Multan are not of Balochistan’s missing persons and have been buried.

    Punjab Chief Minister’s Advisor, Tariq Zaman Gujjar, clarified that the Vice Chancellor and administration of Nishtar Medical Health University have a complete record of abandoned bodies and none of them is a missing person

    On the same day, the hospital’s administration and Edhi Foundation buried the remains of 66 corpses, all found in various stages of decomposition.

    Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) Chief, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, had also expressed concerns that the bodies could be of Balochistan’s missing persons. Mengal had demanded that an investigation must be held.

    The Baloch leader also asked for conducting DNA tests on the corpses, fearing that some of them might be missing persons.

    Responding to this, Gujjar said that he respects Akhtar Mengal but his statement was surprising in that he suspected the abandoned bodies might be those of missing persons.

    Last week, the grisly discovery of putrefied bodies found lying in open on the roof of Multan’s Nishtar Hospital grabbed the country’s attention after videos were widely shared on social media.

    At that time, it was speculated by online media that up to 500 bodies were allegedly found on the rooftop of the hospital. Soon after, an investigation was launched.

    Earlier, Nishtar Medical University’s (NMU) Head of Anatomy Department, Dr Mariam Ashraf said that the facility does not just keep bodies for research purposes but also for safekeeping, if handed over by police or Rescue personnel.

    She claimed that there were only four bodies on the rooftop. “The only reason for keeping bodies on the roof is that their influx is huge and they aren’t being returned back to police stations in the numbers that they should,” she claimed.

  • Confusion within Punjab govt regarding PTI long march

    Confusion within Punjab govt regarding PTI long march

    The final date for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march has not been announced yet by Chairman Imran Khan, however, contradictory statements have been issued by the Punjab government regarding the province’s support.

    Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar said on Wednesday that during the PTI long march, government resources will not be used and called Khan’s long march a “political matter”.

    In a tweet, he said, “Long march is our constitutional and legal right. When Imran Khan orders, we will come out as a party. This is a political matter, we have never used government resources and will not.”

    In another instance, Dogar, while talking to journalists on Wednesday said, “If Imran Khan announces a long march then the Punjab government will not become part of it. We will not facilitate the participants of the long march but security will be provided”, reports Geo News.

    On the contrary, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi— who is currently in London— said, “We will do everything that Imran Khan wants us to do”.

    Speaking to journalists, he said, “There is a PTI government in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir”, adding that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah wouldn’t be able to bear the PTI long march.

    Reacting to Dogar’s statement, Elahi said, “That is, as such, no matter”.

    The statement from the Punjab home minister and CM came after Khan directed his party’s officeholders to ensure that thousands of workers gather in Islamabad during the “Azadi March”.

    Earlier, Sanaullah said that PTI’s long march would not be allowed to enter the federal capital under any circumstances.

    On October 4, Khan asked his party leaders and workers to take an oath that they would participate in the long march, terming it a “jihad” for the country.