Abolishes charges for impecunious strata in model graveyards
Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi said Monday that he has no intention to prolong his tenure but clarified that giving the election date is the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) job.
In a meeting with senior journalists and beat reporters, Naqvi said: “We are ready to conduct free and fair elections in the province.” The CM said he would be the happiest man to leave the government as soon as the elections were conducted.
He said they are performing their duties under the ECP’s guidelines, adding that the recent transfers and postings in the province were carried out on the electoral body’s orders.
Replying to a query about the danger of terrorism in Punjab, the caretaker CM said the government was boosting the capabilities of the already efficient Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the province. He added that the government has procured new cameras for the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, saying that over 50 % of the installed cameras had not been working properly.
On a question about settling Afghan refugees in the province, Naqvi said that the Punjab government has no such plans. He added that they have already started operations to locate Afghan citizens living in the province without valid documents.
The interim CM also expressed his deep sorrow at the death of veteran actor, director and host Zia Mohyeddin. He prayed for the departed soul and for the grieving family.
Replying to a question about the Nankana Sahib incident, he expressed his resolve to make sure that the trial of the accused was completed within the next two months.
Naqvi stressed that his priority was to improve the common man’s life in every sector.
Meanwhile, Meanwhile, Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has abolished the burial charges of ten thousand rupees for indigent persons in model graveyards while chairing a meeting to review issues of Punjab Shehr-e-Khamoshan Authority at his office.
The meeting agreed to promptly operationalize model graveyards throughout Punjab. The chief minister directed the completion of model graveyard projects in Kahna Nau spanning over 825 kanal, Ahlu Kacha Road covering 98 kanal, Raiwind Road expanding to 127 kanal, and Sua Asal spanning over 276 kanal in the provincial metropolis. The graveyards would be equipped with facilities such as boundary walls, ablution points, and obsequies. Furthermore, the CM ordered a survey, cleaning, and the removal of encroachments in all cemeteries within the city.