Punjab CM reviews Home Dept’s performance

LAHORE: Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has decided to review the performance of every department as administrative secretaries will brief in detail about the steps taken during two and a half years along with a future road map.

In this regard, the chief minister chaired a meeting at his office to review Home Department’s performance. ACS (Home) briefed him about achievements, jail reforms and legislation.

The chief minister expressed satisfaction over the department’s performance and directed to work with more zeal to achieve future targets. Talking on the occasion, the CM affirmed building multi-storey barracks to accommodate 10,000 prisoners in seven jails. The civil work of a high-security jail in Mianwali has been completed while a new jail has also been constructed in Lodhran.

Action has been initiated against 1,319 officials for showing negligence and corruption, he added. Besides, the prisoners’ management information system has been started in 21 jails along with the provision of courtrooms in different jails. The CM said Punjab forensic science training lab would be made functional soon, whereas new child protection institutes were also being established in six districts while the child protection institute in Sahiwal had already been completed. Similarly, child protection units will be established in 11 districts and the scope of Baloch levies has been expanded to Rajanpur, the CM announced. The approval of recruitment has been accorded to border military police and Baloch levies and new check posts and police stations are also being established in tribal areas, he continued.

Recruitment of new jail staff has been allowed, he said and directed to take effective measures to stop smuggling, adding that line departments be reactivated to achieve desired results. He assured of taking every possible step for the prisoners rehabilitation, adding that the jail monitoring system be developed.

Meanwhile, the chief minister termed the Israeli attacks on Palestine a blatant violation of all human rights. In a statement, he said Israeli hands were drenched with the blood of innocent Palestinians. Israel would continue to indulge in similar brutalities if it was not stopped today, he stressed. Besides, continuous silence of the international community over the situation in Palestine was a big question mark, he said. The defenceless Palestinians had an equal right to live, he added. While the silence of the international community was resulting in human tragedy, the CM said and added that the people and the government of Pakistan had full sympathies towards Palestinians.