Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi reviewed security arrangements in the province during at his office, on Tuesday. While presiding over a meeting, he ordered for foolproof security arrangements across the province. He said complete security should be provided to the PTI long march participants in every city from Wazirabad to Rawalpindi, in the wake of the Wazirabad firing incident. Snipers should be deputed on the rooftops of buildings along the route, he added.
The CM said that a strong force of 15,000 police personnel would be deployed on the route and ordered that the police control room should actively perform its duties 24 hours. The CM said the use of bulletproof rostrum and bulletproof glass should be ensured on the container, and a new bulletproof container should be prepared. In this regard, the Punjab government would provide all possible support, he said.
Punjab Chief Secretary Abdullah Sumbal, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Capt (retd) Asadullah Khan, Addl IGP (SB), Addl IGP (Operations) Punjab, CCPO Lahore, Addl IGP CTD, DG Rescue 1122, Commissioner Gujrat Division, DIG (Operations) Punjab, RPO Gujrat, DCs and DPOs of Gujrat, Sialkot, Wazirabad, Hafizabad attended the meeting, while Commissioner Rawalpindi Division, RPO Rawalpindi, CPO, Rawalpindi and the Jhelum DC and DPO participated through video-link. CM chairs meeting to review standards of technical education: A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi at his office to review issues of engineering universities and technical colleges in province.
Former district Nazim Riaz Asghar, secretaries of finance and higher education departments and University of Engineering and Technology Lahore vice chancellor attended the meeting, said a handout issued here on Tuesday. It was agreed to approach local universities for management and financial consultancy for feasibility reports of projects. Similarly, technology colleges in Lahore, Kasur and DG Khan will be aligned with the requirements of the modern age.
The CM said that the services of professional teachers as well as students of local universities would be obtained for feasibility reports and consultancy. It would save foreign exchange reserves while promoting the skills of the students, he added. The mastery of engineering and technology was necessary to join the race of development, he said and announced to develop institutions for a skilled workforce in Punjab. A skilled workforce plays a key role in sustainable development, he noted. The CM said that the young generation had to take the path of self-reliance for employment and added that the youth would have to make themselves skilled to meet the needs of time.
CM holds ceremony to celebrate birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak: Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi cut a cake, along with the Sikh and religious minority members at a ceremony held at his office on Tuesday, to mark the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. He congratulated the Sikh community and said that Rs3 million had been allocated for celebrating Baba Guru Nanak’s birthday. Ten thousand rupees per persons would be provided for treatment of differently-abled persons, orphans, widows and sick people of the Sikh community, he explained. The CM noted that Baba Guru Nanak’s birthday was an occasion to rejoice for the Sikh community.
The CM mentioned that Baba Guru Nanak impressed people with his good morals and character. He asserted that due to conducive atmosphere for societal tolerance, minorities in Pakistan enjoy the rights which could not be even imagined in India.
Parvez Elahi said religious minorities have complete freedom to perform their religious rituals, adding that the Punjab government was following the policy of providing equal opportunities for employment and education to the minority communities. A quota was being given to the minority communities in higher education institutions and jobs, he added.
Under the educational scholarship scheme, 50 per cent of scholarships had been given to Central Punjab, 35 per cent to south Punjab and 15 per cent to North Punjab, he said and added that scholarships were given to minority students securing 50 per cent marks in matriculation examination.
The chief minister said that funds were being spent for development of minority communities’ areas. Alongside this, funds have also been allocated for the festivals of the minority communities, he added. All these measures were aimed at providing equal opportunities, including education and development, to religious minorities so that they could play their role in national development, concluded the CM.
Provincial Advisor Aamir Saeed Raan, Punjab government’s spokesperson Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, MPAs namely Hanif Pitafi, Rafaqat Gillani, Mahinder Pal Singh, Samuel Yaqub, Yudestar Chauhan, Robinson Aziz Frances, Aruj Raza, Archbishop of Lahore Sebastian Shaw, Karpa Singh, Dr. Mampal Singh, Ravinder Singh, Surjit Singh, Tariq Inayat, Asif Sohail Khokhar, Shahzad and others attended the ceremony, while a minority delegation led by Hoga Singh from the UK also participated.