Govt to plan comprehensively for eradicating polio

The Punjab Government has planned to implement a comprehensive strategy to eradicate polio from the province by implementing well-designed emergency action plan in collaboration with all the line-departments and donor agencies associated with the child-health.
In this regard, a high level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Punjab Nasir Khosa at Civil Secretariat on Tuesday. Administrative Secretaries and representatives of line-departments attended the meeting. The meeting was told that national emergency action plan had been chalked-out to interrupt transmission of polio virus by the end of 2011. The meeting observed that vaccination during high quality ammonisation campaign was a strong barrier to protect the children from this deadly virus. “It is important that we may not become complacent in the absence of polio cases in Punjab so far this year, but instead, must remain very vigilant and focused in our efforts to eradicate the virus from Punjab,” the CS said.
The meeting proposed that DCOs should hold meetings of district polio eradication committees two weeks before every anti-polio campaign with the purpose of planning for excellent implementation and high vaccination coverage. It is also essential that every plan should be endorsed by the designated medical officer and designated official from the DCO/TMA offices for the union council level and the same should also be reviewed by EDOs health and technical staff from the partner organisations.
The CS directed that vaccination staff should also reach to mobile populations by accurately mapping the location of all such settlements besides devising specific stand- alone plans for high quality vaccination coverage in high risk areas and populations, for example, children of brick kiln workers, construction site working families and nomadic camps. Similarly, it was also pointed-out that cable networks as well as the platform of Mosques is very effective to sensitise the parents to immunize their children.
Khosa directed that the provincial departments including Education, Revenue, Auqaf, Social Welfare, Police as well as Health related NGOs should be fully involved in this campaign so that no child, up to the age of five years, may not be left without vaccination.
“Eradication of polio virus from Punjab will be a great achievement. Let us all work together to protect the children of Punjab against this deadly disease. In order to achieve this goal, every child under five years of age must receive polio vaccine during the forthcoming polio campaigns,” added the Chief Secretary.

Present democracy fails to deliver: Nawaz

PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has said the present form of democracy has given nothing to the nation, but disrespect and disrepute, and vowed to continue his struggle for the prosperity of Pakistan.
In his address at a ceremony held in connection with the Independence Day at Hazoori Bagh on Saturday, the former prime minister said, “We got democracy, but what the present ruling coterie has given to us. Every Pakistani should be concerned at this (state of affairs).”
Speaking to a huge crowd of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders and workers, he said no doubt that democracy was essential for the progress of the country, and “we will sacrifice everything for it, but we are sick of sham democracy.” He also said they would not let the sacrifices of the forefathers to go in vain, as he vowed to leave no stone unturned for the development of the country and fight against all the odds with the help of the people, and overcome all the internal and external challenges with the force of the masses.
“I remain concerned about my country and seeing your (workers’) enthusiasm I have a feeling in my heart that Pakistanis still have the same passion and spirit as was demonstrated in 1947. This can take the country forward, and is a must for saving Pakistan,” he hoped, adding that it pained him seeing today’s country. “I want to warn that it would be dangerous for us and if it continued, then what will be the future of Pakistan?” he questioned.
Nawaz Sharif came hard on the present rulers, and said the wrong policies of the present rulers had landed the country in an abyss, defaced it and derailed it from the path of progress, but his party would do whatever it took to realise the dream of a prosperous and progressive Pakistan. He vowed to end corruption, illiteracy, poverty and terrorism “since the PML-N had a track record of actualising its promises.” He substantiated his claim by mentioning 2008 general elections to get the judiciary restored after getting elected, and was done later on. “We struggled against Musharraf, but this democracy did not give us anything. They (implicitly referring to the PPP leaders) blackened their faces, and brought democracy ignominy,” he averred. He said he would not have come to the venue if Pakistan and democracy would have been progressing. “But I am here to change Pakistan’s destiny,” he vowed.
Nawaz Sharif was of the opinion that Pakistan was not created to remain under-developed and stay so, but as a prosperous nation. “We must reverse this trend of negativities. It is difficult but possible provided people are with us,” he said.
On this, he took oath from the present on the occasion, and party-workers across the country. He mentioned that he was seeking pledge for changing the destiny of Pakistan. He read out that he was making the Quaid and all people witness in front the Mazar-e-Iqbal under the shadow of the Badshahi Mosque that securing peace, justice, stability and prosperity was not impossible if impregnable 180 million people of Pakistan decided to unite, work hard, honestly and diligently and bravely. “We can put Pakistan on the road of prosperity, solidarity and self reliance,” he said, while asking the people to pledge on the 65th Independence Day that all would continue their efforts for protecting Pakistan’s ideology, materialise dreams of the martyrs and founders of Pakistan, counter corruption, nepotism, injustice and extremism with determination, ensure supremacy of law and the Constitution at any cost. “We will struggle for the elimination of poverty, ignorance, nepotism and terrorism besides actualising out duties towards defending our integrity. We will ensure equal rights among Pakistanis sans considering their cast, creed and colour. Also, we will not desist from giving sacrifices for protecting Pakistan against military dictators,” he took oath, while praying to the Almighty Allah to provide strength and perseverance.
MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique conducted the proceedings. A large of number parliamentarians and party office bearers including Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Ahsan Iqbal, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, Malik Riaz, Mian Marghoob Ahmed, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Arifa Khalid Pervaiz, Hafiz Noman and Dr Asif Kirmani.
On this occasion, Fateha was offered for the departed souls, who rendered services during the Pakistan movement.

63 Punjab officers given commendatory certificates

An impressive ceremony was held on Independence Day on Sunday at the Civil Secretariat for awarding prizes and certificates to officers of various departments showing good performance.
Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif gave away prizes and commendatory certificates to 63 officers.
The officers included: Dr Shujaat Ali Secretary Industries, Jawad Rafique Malik Commissioner Lahore Division, Captain (retd) Zahid Saeed Commissioner Rawalpindi, Saeed Iqbal Wahla Commissioner Gujranwala, Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmad Commissioner Bahawalpur, Ahad Khan Cheema District Coordination Officer Lahore, Nabeel Ahmad Awan DCO Gujranwala, Captain (retd) Saqib Zafar DCO Rawalpindi, Dr Naeem Rauf DCO Bahawalpur, Waqas Ali Mahmood DCO Sahiwal, Nasir Rafiq Focal Person Model Bazar (Chief WTO), Muhammad Ilyas Secretary Regulations, Nawazish Ali DCO Gujrat, Nasim Sadiq DCO Faisalabad, Nadir Chatha Additional Collector Lahore, Musarrat Jabeen Additional Collector Kasur, Kiran Khurshid Additional Collector Sheikhupura, Talat Mahmood Additional Collector Rawalpindi, Muhammad Abid Khan Additional Collector Attock, Zahid Saleem Gondal, Deputy Secretary Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Captain (retd) Khalid Mahmood Assistant Commissioner Sadiqabad, Captain (retd) Abdul Sattar Isani Assistant Commissioner Sialkot, Tariq Manzoor Assistant Commissioner Mianchannu, Saif Anwar Jappa Assistant Commissioner Rawalpindi, Zahid Suhail Assistant Commissioner Chiniot, Sohail Habib Tajik District Police Officer Rahim Yar Khan, Sohail Zafar Chatha DPO Rajanpur, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi DPO Vehari, Dr. Muhammad Rizwan DPO Sargodha, Muhammad Afzal Virk SP Investigation Gujrat, Muhammad Younas Butt SP Sahiwal, Captain (retd) Liaqat Ali Malik Additional SP (Investigation) Civil Lines Lahore, Irfan Ullah Khan Additional SP Sheikhupura, Rashad Mehmood Sandhu DSP Sadar Faisalabad, Abdul Rasheed Inspector Rawalpindi, Muhammad Nazir Inspector Sargodha, Muhammad Zubair Chief Inspector Finance Department, Basit Mehmood District Accounts Officer Sahiwal, Late Abrar Sultan Chief Engineer C&W (Due to his invaluable services, he was recommended for posthumous award), Khayyam Qaiser Chief Engineer Highways South Zone, Hafiz Masood-ur-Rasool Chief Engineer Highways North Zone, Younas Aziz Additional Secretary Technical, Asrar-ul-Haq Chief SPRU Irrigation, Sh. Muhammad Nawaz Superintending Engineer Nilibar Canal Sahiwal, Bashir Ahmad Zahid Superintending Engineer Drainage Faisalabad, Habib Ullah Bodla XEN C&W, Ghulam Murtaza Executive Engineer Faisalabad, Shakeel Ahmad SDO Monitoring Faisalabad, Shakeel Ahmad SDO Bahawalpur, Khadim Hussain Sub Engineer Khanpur, Shaukat Ali Director General Punjab Housing & Town Planning, Muhammad Saleem Nasir Director Local Government Board, Moazzam Ali Janjua Additional Secretary Local Government, Waheed Ahmad Butt EDO Local Government Gujranwala, Javed Iqbal Sheikh Director Finance Local Government, Ashiq Dogar PHA Faisalabad, Muhammad Ashraf Janjua Additional Director General, Muhammad Aslam Khan Deputy Secretary Local Government, Raja Zaheer Deputy Director Local Government Rawalpindi, Ahmad Bakhsh Additional Director, Muhammad Yaqoob Technical Officer Shahkot, Shagufta Salamat Architect City Local Government Lahore and Muhammad Zaman Wattoo Assistant Director Local Government Lahore.
Addressing the function, the CM said the Punjab government had set a new tradition by holding a ceremony for the encouragement of competent and hard working officers. “This step,” he said, “will encourage civil servants showing good performance it will also motivate those public servants who have not been able to perform well in their respective fields due to some reason.”
He also said, “Pakistan was created after innumerable sacrifices under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah so that there would be supremacy of justice and everyone would have equal rights and opportunities to move forward.”
Earlier, Chief Secretary Nasir Mehmood Khosa in his vote of thanks said that a comprehensive system had been evolved for evaluating the performance of officers and Punjab government had set an example by holding a ceremony on Independence Day for encouragement of officers showing good performance.
Later, the CM gave away cash prize of Rs 50,000 and commendatory certificate to officers.

Banning protests on Mall, an administrative matter

Chief Secretary Punjab Nasir Mehmood Khosa has said imposing ban on public meetings at the Sharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam Lahore is a purely administrative matter, and besides freedom of business activities, the government also has to keep in view the democratic right of the people to hold public meetings, and no such order can be issued which usurps the fundamental rights of the people.
In his statement before the High Court on Friday, Khosa said it was the responsibility of the government to deal with the issues in a proper manner, but it was also essential to create a consensus of opinion for this purpose. “Such orders of the court, which cannot be implemented and those rules of the government which can not be abided, could tarnish the image of these institutions; therefore, there is a need of developing consensus of opinion regarding ban on pubic meetings at Sharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam. Just as the people cannot be stopped from exercising their democratic right, similarly the rights of the business community should also be protected,” he added.
The CS said before strict administrative measures, there was a need to create public awareness and consensus. “The ban will be implemented in phases,” he mentioned.