Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s helicopter made an emergency landing in Lahore due to strong wind on Thursday evening.
Buzdar and his staff members who were travelling from Islamabad to Lahore, remained safe.
The chief minister’s helicopter was scheduled to land at Lahore old airport but the wind forced the pilot to divert and land at the Railway Stadium in Garhi Shahu. Buzdar had gone to Islamabad on Wednesday to attend meetings chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Punjab government has launched a mobile lungar scheme in Lahore and Faisalabad in line with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye Programme.
Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar inaugurated the programme in two cities, and food trucks are operating on four different routes in Lahore since.
The following are the routes of the food trucks in Lahore:
CM Buzdar has announced that 10,000 boxes will be distributed regularly on these routes to provide meals to labourers and travellers.
In various areas of Faisalabad, two trucks will distribute almost 10,000 lunch boxes regularly.
CM Buzdar remarked that feeding the needy is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s Sunnah and is also in line with PM Imran’s vision of a welfare state.
He added that the project will be launched in other cities of Punjab as well.
Around 550 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have reportedly gone missing from Lahore’s Services Hospital, media reports have claimed citing sources at the health department.
According to the reports, an additional 350 doses of coronavirus vaccines stored at the city’s Government Mozang Teaching Hospital have “gone to waste”, while no record could be found for the nearly 600 missing ones.
The missing vaccines have been administered to important personalities, bureaucrats, and their friends, sources at the health department said, adding that Federal Minister for Housing Tariq Bashir Cheema of the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q), along with his wife, also received the COVID-19 jab from the missing doses.
On the other hand, the principal of the Services Hospital says that the vaccines haven’t disappeared but there has been an issue with the compilation of records.
Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid maintains that the government is carrying out an audit of the vaccine doses and a report related to that will be submitted soon.
Meanwhile, the medical superintendent of Mozang Teaching Hospital has been suspended after 350 coronavirus vaccine doses stored there were spoiled.
According to a notification of the Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department dated March 29, the MS, Dr Munir Ahmad Ghouri, was “placed under suspension, under Section 6 of PEEDA Act, 2006, on accounts of inefficiency and misconduct, with immediate effect”.
A senior official of the provincial health department said that the medical superintendent was suspended after 350 coronavirus vaccine doses, stored in the refrigerator at his office were spoiled.
“He stored the doses in the refrigerator in his office and then went on leave,” the official added.
In what appear to be efforts by Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar to prove his mettle as a good administrator amid severe criticism over a number of things, it has emerged that new records were set within the past two and a half years as the provincial chief executive struggled to constitute the best team.
Soon after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to power in 2018, Buzdar was handed reins of Punjab by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan despite reservations expressed by several allies of the premier.
“He will prove to be the best Punjab has ever had,” PM Imran said while defending Buzdar time and again, especially amid criticism aimed at the newcomer over his lack of experience, unpopular decisions, and as the masses drew comparisons between Buzdar and his predecessor, Shehbaz Sharif.
Two and a half years since his election, it has emerged that CM Buzdar set a new record, but it might not exactly be for what you think or could have expected…
He became the first provincial chief executive to have made the most number changes to his team in no time, the details of which are as follows:
Jawad Rafique Malik (April 2020 – Present)
Azam Suleman (5 Months 3 Days)
Yousaf Naseem Khokhar (13 Months 24 Days)
Akbar Durrani (3 Months & 19 Days)
Inam Ghani (September 2020 – Present)
Shoaib Dastagir (9 Months 10 Days)
Arif Nawaz (7 Months 11 Days)
Amjad Javed Saleemi (6 Months 2 Days)
Tahir Khan (1 Month 4 Days)
Kaleem Imam (2 Months 28 Days)
Besides over a dozen transfers and postings among secretaries of different Punjab departments, the other prominent officials sent packing included those serving in the provincial capital and CM Buzdar’s hometown Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan.
Dr Irshad Ahmed (Incumbent)
Tahir Khurshid
Muddassir Riaz
Asadullah Faiz
Naseem Sadiq
Sajid Zafar
Asif Bilal Lodhi (Second Appointment)
Mujtaba Paracha
Saif Anjum
This, however, isn’t where it all ends.
According to sources, major changes in Punjab are once again on the cards and Primary and Secondary Health Secretary Capt (r) Muhammad Usman is likely to be made Lahore commissioner soon.
While the chief secretary and the IG could also be replaced, reports regarding Buzdar’s own dismissal have been rebutted by both Centre and the Punjab CM himself.
Speaking to Geo News, Buzdar said rumours of his removal went rife every once in a while. “There is no truth to rumours of my removal [as CM Punjab],” he said, adding that the main objective of these rumours was to stop development work in the province.
He said that the Punjab Assembly and “his leader” — Prime Minister Imran Khan — had complete confidence in his abilities as the province’s chief executive.
“I am staying here and will continue to serve the people of Punjab,” he said. “We are governing Punjab transparently; not even a single corruption case has been exposed,” he added.
Prime Minister Imran Khan dropped a hint at bringing major administrative changes in Punjab, a private media outlet reported. According to reports, the premier on Tuesday expressed reservations over the state of affairs in Punjab during an important meeting that was attended by senior party leaders. Reports said that before the meeting, PM Imran had an important discussion with Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar.
The meeting also discussed the election of chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate. The premier asked Defence Minister Pervez Khattak to get the support needed for the post of chairman and deputy chairman. The government has decided to take the allies into confidence for the post of Senate deputy chairman, reports claimed and added that the meeting also deliberated on giving the post of deputy chairman to any allied party.
The performance of the Punjab government was also discussed in detail during the meeting chaired by the premier and attended by federal ministers except Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, senior government members and constitutional experts, as well as CM Buzdar. When contacted, a senior Punjab official told The Current that a major shuffle might soon be held in the province. They hinted at the possible removal of the provincial chief executive as well as the chief secretary.
While PM’s digital media aide has rubbished these claims, rumour has it that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) CM might also soon be replaced.
Meanwhile, journalist Muneeb Farooq has also cited sources as saying that the Punjab CM is not going anywhere.
Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has reportedly ordered the removal of Allama Iqbal’s sculpture built by the gardeners of Lahore’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park.
According to the Focal Person on Digital Media to CM Punjab Azhar Mashwani, the Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA) will not remove the statue but will fix it so that it looks more like Iqbal.
The structure drew the ire of social media users after pictures of it were widely circulated on social media.
The Punjab government has approved the establishment of another development authority to develop its posh neighbourhoods, with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar as the chairman.
The Lahore Central Business District (CBD) Development Authority will be set up under the Lahore Central Business District Development Authority Ordinance 2021 and the ordinance would also pave the way for the appointment of retired/serving military officers or civil servants as the director general of the authority.
As per the drafted legislation, the authority will have the power to acquire and hold property, both movable and immovable, and to carry out development in posh areas.
Though Lahore already has a development authority that is in charge of planning and development in the district, the new authority is said to be an autonomous body that is tasked with the commercialisation and promotion of vertical construction in the city.
According to Geo News, the idea of setting up a Central Business District in Lahore was first proposed by the Lahore Development Authority in 2009 for the development of Jail Road, Main Boulevard, M M Alam Road, Hali Road and Gulberg.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has removed Lahore police chief Umar Sheikh from his post.
Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, who was serving as DIG, Technical Procurement, CPO, Punjab, will be the new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO).
Whereas, the notification issued by the government said that Umar Sheikh will be “posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police/Deputy Commandant of Punjab Constabulary, Farooqabad, against a vacant post”.
Sheikh was posted as the Lahore police chief in September. Since then he has been involved in a number of controversies.
Soon after his posting, he allegedly told his subordinates that on any sensitive issue, the Lahore police must seek his permission even if they receive directions from the Central Police Office (CPO).
This had irked IGP Shoaib Dastgir, who refused to work as the IG till the removal of Sheikh. However, the government removed the IG following a standoff between the two.
Sheikh had also blamed the rape survivor in the motorway rape case. The CCPO had said rape survivor should have been more careful and taken a safer route to avoid the rapists.
“I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” he had said while speaking to Dunya News.
Sheikh went had further said that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.
Recently, CCPO Sheikh was in the crosshairs of the Lahore High Court that had sought record of the CCPO’s interviews after he criticised the courts for freeing criminals.
Reacting to the statement of the CCPO Shaikh in which he said the criminals detained by the police were given bail by the courts, the chief justice had said the suspects are granted bail in line with the constitution.
He had said such statements by CCPO Shaikh were akin to committing contempt of court and asked the Punjab advocate general to give details of his interviews in 15 days.
As Punjab grapples with coronavirus outbreak and poor economic situation, the provincial government has asked its deputy commissioners to promote ‘qawali’ in the province.
The News reported that Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has directed the DCs to have qawali performance in their respective areas and also promote them on cable networks.
In addition, these civil servants have also been asked to send weekly reports to the Chief Minister’s Office about the concerts.
It reported “a regular monitoring mechanism” has been devised and the CM wants the DCs to send his office the pictures of the programmes as well.
The report claimed that the order to promote qawalis in the province might have come from Banigala — residence of PM Imran Khan where he lives with his spouse Bushra Bibi.
The chief minister has faced a lot of criticism for his inability to run the province. During the two-year tenure of Buzdar, there has been a decline in almost departments of the provincial government.
During his rule, at least six police chief of the province have been changed, five chief secretaries have been shown the door, but things have remained the same.
However, despite all the odds, the PM has decided to stick with Buzdar and said he would emerge as the best chief minister of Punjab.
Former Governor Punjab Muhammad Latif Khosa’s daughter Sehr Khosa tied the knot over the weekend and the two-day event was a glittering affair with several notable politicians, including Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Yousuf Raza Gillani, in attendance.
Check out pictures from the wedding below:
While CM Buzdar, Yousuf Raza Gillani, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed and former CJP Asif Saeed Khosa attended the baraat on Saturday, December 19, BBZ, Governor Sarwar and former CJP Saqib Nisar attended the valima on Sunday, December 20.
The bride looked ethereal on both days in outfits by Allechant Couture.
Picture credits – Bilal Saeed Photography, Wedding Shadding, SS Photography – By Saba Sahar