- Punjab info minister says Punjab Cabinet decided to provide ration cards to 1.5m families
LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Friday said that terrorists infiltrating Balochistan and other provinces are operating from outside, saying this is not a war between Balochistan and Punjab rather a war for Pakistan’s security.
“We do not want provincial conflicts, but Punjabi laborers are being identified through their ID cards and killed in Balochistan while so-called YouTubers and Mehrang Lango are silent over the current situation in Balochistan”, Punjab Information Minister stated while addressing a press conference at DGPR office here on Friday.
Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Price Control Salma Butt also addressed the media on the occasion.
She said that the Punjab government is continuously working for public relief, saying the provincial cabinet has decided to provide ration cards to 1.5 million families.
She emphasized that due to the efforts of the Prime Minister’s team, inflation has dropped to its lowest level in 25 years, proving the effectiveness of the government’s policies.
On the occasion of the Jummatul Wida, she prayed for the alleviation of the hardships of the Pakistani people.
She stated that the Punjab government has worked hard to control food prices. High-quality goods are being ensured in Ramadan and relief markets to provide maximum relief to the people. The Chief Minister of Punjab praised Salma Butt’s performance in the cabinet meeting and expressed satisfaction with public welfare initiatives.
Azma Bokhari also revealed that 120 agenda items were approved in the last provincial cabinet meeting, making it the longest agenda in cabinet history.
Modern systems are being introduced in Punjab to control crime. An air ambulance system is being established in Bhakkar, while a crime control system will be activated throughout the province. Additionally, a special investigation unit is being set up to prevent sexual crimes, which will make investigations more efficient and swift.
The Information Minister further stated that the Chief Minister personally reviewed the arrest of a suspect in Faisalabad and instructed authorities to quickly apprehend other fugitives. She made it clear that Punjab now conducts investigations on scientific grounds, ensuring suspects are arrested within hours. The Chief Minister has unequivocally stated that crimes against women will not be tolerated, marking this as his red line. He has directed the police that traditional delaying tactics are no longer acceptable and that swift justice must be ensured.
SACM Salma Butt stated that under the “Ramazan Nighaban” package, financial assistance is being provided to the families of deceased pay order holders. She mentioned that due to the lack of biometric verification, 300,000 senior citizens are being provided assistance via SMS services to ease their difficulties.
She also highlighted that in the past 26 days, over 12.8 million people have shopped from various district stalls. In the last 24 hours alone, over 440,000 people made purchases from model bazaars and 977 relief stalls, demonstrating the government’s efforts to provide public relief.
Since the beginning of Ramazan, people across all districts have purchased more than 5.94 million kilograms of fruits and vegetables at discounted rates.
Additionally, over 540,000 kilograms of chicken, 311,000 kilograms of dates, and more than 600,000 kilograms of gram flour and chickpeas have been sold.
Salma Butt further stated that since the first day of Ramazan, more than 170,000 flour bags have been purchased from relief stalls. These flour bags are being provided at a subsidized rate of up to Rs800 per 10-kilogram bag to maximize public convenience.
