LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz has instructed health officials to provide free medical care to patients returning from India.
According to the details, due to recent tensions between India and Pakistan, some Pakistani patients were sent back from India before completing their treatment.
The CM directed health authorities to offer free treatment to these patients, especially those needing kidney or liver transplants or with serious illnesses. These patients had to return to Pakistan after India canceled their visas.
“The patients returning from India will be supported and provided proper treatment,” Maryam said.
In a separate meeting, the CM praised the Punjab Police’s ranking system, which has helped reduce crime in Lahore and other cities.
She met with Inspector General of Police Dr. Usman Anwar, who updated her on the law and order situation and crime rates. Other police officials, including CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana, DIG Administration Imran Kishwar, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran, and DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza, were also present.
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The CM said the lower crime rates show the police’s effective work. She noted that Lahore’s police operations have improved the city’s safety, making it comparable to cities like London and New York. She credited the police’s strategies for including Lahore in the Safe City category.
Maryam emphasized that protecting citizens’ lives and property is the state’s top priority and urged people to cooperate with the police to maintain law and order in Punjab. She added that despite challenges, the police have achieved crime reduction goals through teamwork.
She also highlighted that using key performance indicators (KPIs), modern technology, quick feedback, and effective monitoring has improved police performance. Accountability measures have been put in place within the police department, she said.
In another development, CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz has launched the Apni Zameen Apna Ghar initiative, a flagship welfare programme aimed at providing free residential plots to the province’s poorest and homeless citizens.
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As per the report, the first phase of the scheme will allocate 1,892 free 3-marla plots across 23 low-income housing projects in 19 districts.
The initiative is being managed by the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency, under the administrative oversight of the Housing, Urban Development, and Public Health Engineering Department.
The programme is part of CM Maryam Nawaz’s broader “Housing for All” vision and is designed to benefit those who meet eligibility criteria.
