Southern Punjab: Punjab govt pursuing plans to uplift living standards: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Social Welfare Minister Raja Basharat have said that the Punjab government was pursuing plans to uplift the living standards of the people of Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur’s Kacha and tribal areas.

He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting here on Tuesday. Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, Punjab Irrigation Minister, Mohsin Leghari, MNA Riaz Mahmood Mazari, MPA Ahmad Ali Dareshk and senior officials were also present in the meeting.

Basharat said that the Punjab Chief Minister has stressed for improving security and basic social structure in the Kacha area. “The problems faced by Border Military Police (BMP) and other agencies would be addressed on priority basis and it would be provided with equal service structure, resources and training of Punjab Police,” he added.

He further said that it will remove the deprivations of the Kacha area and they would build more schools, hospitals, roads and create employment opportunities. Earlier in the briefing, it was informed that the tribal areas were currently being administered by political assistants, Border Military Force and Baloch Levies. Moreover, out of 502 posts in BMP, 376 are vacant. The BMP and Baloch Levies have a severe shortage of essential resources, such as vehicles, buildings, weapons and equipment.

In this connection, Dost Mohammad Mazari and Mohsin Leghari said that BMP was in dire need of resources and training. “Its offices and outposts were in a dilapidated condition and there was an urgent need for reforms in the tribal areas,” they added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020