LAHORE   -   Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz Monday chaired a meeting at Model Town to finalize the Chief Minister’s relief package.

MPAs including Sardar Awais Leghari, Kh. Imran Nazir, Bilal Yasin, Ramzan Siddique Bhatti, ticket-holder Hafiz Muhammad Nauman, PMLN leader Atta Tarar, secretaries of agriculture, food, industries and finance departments tended the meeting.

The Chief Minister emphasized that the government would provide relief to the masses and disclosed that a decision has been made to reduce the price of flour and sugar for the people.

“This relief is their right as my brethren are in difficulty”; he maintained and hoped that the special relief package would redress the difficulties of the common man. He said a substantial relief would be given in prices to give genuine relief to the common man. He directed that the relief package should be given final shape without any further delay as the 15 days had already passed. He also directed to devise a foolproof monitoring mechanism. He asked the PITB to take a lead in this regard as a separate monitoring cell would be set up for the relief package.

CM orders preparation of roadmap for prisoners’ welfare

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz chaired a meeting at Model Town on Monday to review jail reforms and directed to provide him with a comprehensive roadmap for the welfare of the prisoners. The meeting was attended by Kh. Salman Rafiq, Ali Raza, Atta Tarar, Aniza Fatima, Mary James Gill., ACS (Home), secretary finance, IG prisons and others.

The CM directed that a comprehensive plan should also be chalked out for the welfare of the jail employees. “I know how detainees spend their time as I have spent 22 months in jail. The life in jail is a different world where inhuman treatment is meted out to inmates because of the obsolete jail system. There is no welfare for the prison staff either. I plan to immediately resolve the problems of jail employees and prisoners and the introduction of necessary reforms is the need of the hour”, he stated.

The CM directed to immediately provide necessary medical equipment in jail hospitals adding that ambulances should be available to transfer patients from jail hospitals to other hospitals.

He also directed to start shuttle service from the gate of Kot Lakhpat jail to the jail building for facilitating the visitors and added that shuttle service should also be started in such jails where there is a long distance from the gate to jail buildings.

Similarly, the conditions of prisoners’ rooms should also be improved; he said and asked the officials to submit a line of action along with a timeline to improve the jail system.