LAHORE: Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar presided over a meeting of cabinet committee on law and order at CM Office here Thursday. Different aspects of sorrowful incident taken place at PIC and progress being made on the case were reviewed in detail.
Usman Buzdar expressed his deep grief and condolences over the death of three patients for not getting timely treatment due to disturbance and commotion occurred at PIC. He stated that all our sympathies are with the victims’ family members. Announcing financial assistance for the heirs of deceased, Usman Buzdar said the Punjab government would grant Rs1 million to each bereaved family.
He said that although financial assistance is no substitute for any human life but we equally share the grief of the aggrieved families. He said that damages being done to the vehicles of doctors and other persons will also be compensated. He directed to grant financial assistance to the heirs of the patients and other persons by today (Friday) at every cost.
He directed that equipment and other items should be restored in proper order at the earliest. All necessarysteps should be taken to put emergency of PIC functional on emergent basis. It is our foremost priority to restore Emergency of PIC as soon as possible and the Punjab government will provide all necessary resources for restoring emergency services, he added. Due to dedicated efforts of whole team of the Punjab government, uninterrupted treatment facilities are continuously being provided in all hospitals across Punjab. Indiscriminate action will be continued against the persons who created unrest at PIC and every necessary step will be taken to maintain peaceful environment in the province. No tolerance will be shown towards those who committed injustice and proceedings will continue to take place persistently. He said those elements which created rumpus and destruction at PIC would not escape from punishment.
The Punjab government will ensure implementation of law in the province; law will take its own course against those found responsible for inflicting torture and creating chaos and disorder. He said that torture inflicted on doctors, paramedical staff, patients and their attendants and causing destruction in the hospital was highly intolerable under all circumstances. Those who tortured patients and their attendants committed immoral and inhuman act. An inquiry has already started about chaos and destruction committed by lawyers and identification process with the help of CCTV cameras has already started to trace those who created destruction and caused unrest in the hospital. Usman Buzdar was informed during the meeting that two cases had already been registered against those who caused chaos and unrest. Rangers have also been deputed at PIC as a preventive measure and work as well as treatment is going on according to normal routine in all government hospitals. Repair work has already started in the hospital which got damaged owing to unrest in the hospital.
Provincial Ministers Raja Basharat, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Hashim Dogar, Taimur Bhatti, Chief Secretary, Advocate General Punjab, IG Police and officers of law enforcement agencies attended the meeting.