Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday announced the Pakistan Coast Guards would be upgraded on modern lines.

Chairing a meeting at the PCG Headquarters, the minister acknowledged that the coast guards had a crucial role to play in controlling drug trafficking.

He said the PCG would be upgraded on modern lines to make it more effective against drug trafficking.

Naqvi appreciated the performance of the PCG within the limited resources available with the department.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Wednesday that Punjab police needed reforms, problems could not be solved by just donning police uniforms.

Ali Amin Gandapur, while talking to Dunya News, said, “If I pinpoint something, everyone starts criticising me. Everyone knows what was economic and employment situation when the PTI government was in power and how PDM performed in its previous and present regime?”

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said mere lip service did not work. Similarly, making tiktok videos could not help resolve masses’ issues.

The Punjab police remained instrumental in the worst poll rigging during General Elections 2024. Punjab police direly needed to be reformed, he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has launched the field hospitals project with the aim of delivering healthcare facilities directly to the doorsteps of the people.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Lahore on Wednesday, the chief minister expressed satisfaction that the dream she shared with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif of bringing healthcare to people’s doorsteps had been realised.

Maryam announced the establishment of 32 field hospitals across the province, with the first one being established in Bahawalpur. She said that these hospitals would particularly serve villages and remote areas lacking access to healthcare facilities.

Regarding the facilities offered at the field hospitals, Maryam highlighted that these would include outpatient departments (OPDs), immunisation services for newborns, maternity services, surgical facilities and the availability of lady health workers.

The CM affirmed her government’s commitment to ensuring the provision and availability of health-related services throughout the province, stating that numerous field hospitals had been established within six months since she assumed office in Punjab.

In an indirect reference to the use of containers by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Maryam remarked that previously, containers were solely employed for inciting violence, arson and tearing up utility bills. However, she added, from now on, containers would be repurposed as platforms for delivering medical aid to the people.

CM Maryam urged critics of her initiatives, particularly those scrutinising her videos, to actively engage in public service. She credited the inception of the field hospitals project to Nawaz Sharif’s visionary leadership, expressing her commitment to following in his footsteps.