CM Ch Parvez Elahi asks Secretaries to burn the midnight oil to serve the masses 

Lahore, September 19, 2022 (PPI-OT):Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has said that the performance of the officers will be linked with the completion of the development projects. The administrative secretaries should, therefore, ensure the timely and proper utilization of development funds to achieve desired results.

He was delivering a keynote speech at the all secretaries’ conference at Darbar Hall of the civil secretariat on Monday. The CM issued guidelines for the early completion of development schemes, achievement of good governance targets and price control, and emphasised that a decision on the summary or file should be made within two days positively.

An implementation mechanism will be determined to ensure speedy disposal of the summary or file in the Chief Minister’s Office, he added. Similarly, tenure postings will be ensured so that the officers could perform and deliver duties wholeheartedly.

Alongside this, the personal issues of officers will also be resolved on priority, he mentioned. The proposal to restore the magisterial system for price control was also considered and Parvez Elahi ordered a feasible mechanism for controlling prices.

The secretaries’ offices will be open to the public from 9:30 am to 11:00 am daily; he said and emphasised that the common man’s problems should be solved in their cities and they shouldn’t have to go all the way to Lahore for this.

Together we have to fulfil the mission of the welfare of the nation. I want the bureaucrats of my team to serve the people with peace and satisfaction, he told. He said that officers and employees are my strength. Welfare projects will be implemented as a result of collective wisdom. Whatever project is started, all efforts should be made to complete it wholeheartedly, he stressed.

More work should be done in south Punjab than before, he added. The CM said that the scope of land centres will be expanded up to the Kanungo level to benefit farmers. A lot of reforms could be introduced in the archaic prison system with good administrative planning and firm intention; he maintained and announced that the teachers’ training programs will be made more efficient and effective to improve educational standards.

The CM disclosed that a practical Act would be introduced to curb drugs in educational institutions and, now, the heads of the educational institutions will also be held responsible for the use of drugs by their students. I will personally monitor all the issues myself, he concluded. Chief Secretary Abdullah Sumbal said that the secretaries and heads of institutions will strive for public welfare with all their hearts and every resource will be used to speed up the development of the people.

Secretaries of the south Punjab secretariat from Multan and Bahawalpur participated through a video link while the secretaries of local government and industries departments attended the meeting from the field through a video link.

Former federal minister Moonis Elahi, Principal Secretary to CM Muhammad Khan Bhatti, SMBR Zahid Akhtar Zaman. Additional Chief Secretary Asadullah Khan, former principal secretary to CM GM Sikandar, besides secretaries of 42 departments, attended the meeting.

For more information, contact:
Mediacell, Pakistan Muslim League
30-C, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi Road,
Gulberg-II, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35878428
Fax: +92-42-35877329
Website: www.pmlmediacell.com

Pakistan, England raring to go as T20Is begin tomorrow

Karachi, September 19, 2022 (PPI-OT):The much-anticipated moment is finally upon us, as Pakistan will host England for the first time in 17 years when the two sides meet for the first of the seven historic T20 Internationals on Tuesday.

Since the arrival of Jos Buttler’s side in Karachi on Thursday, the discourse has revolved around the historic nature of England’s visit, but when the first ball is bowled and two of the most exciting T20I sides get in action, cricket will take the front seat.

England have had an upper hand in the format in head-to-head contests, winning 14 of the 21 matches, and losing on only six occasions. They have had four days of practice at the National Stadium, and after familiarising themselves with the conditions, they will look to stretch their dominance in this series.

“Everyone is raring to go,” England captain Jos Buttler told PCB Digital on the eve of the first T20I. “Preparations have been good and the guys are excited to be practising at this venue. Everyone is looking ahead at the first game.”

This England squad is well familiar with the conditions because of their multiple visits to the country, especially to Karachi and Lahore, for HBL Pakistan Super League editions since 2017. Exactly half of the 20-player squad has been in Pakistan before and have let the other half know what will be on offer at National Stadium, Karachi and Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Moeen Ali will take the captaincy as Buttler – who is nursing a calf injury, sustained in the recent The Hundred – is expected to be available for the last few matches.

England squad: Jos Buttler (Captain), Moeen Ali (Vice-Captain), Adil Rashid, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Liam Dawson, Luke Wood, Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Richard Gleeson, Sam Curran, Tom Helm and Will Jacks

The Tuesday match will be Pakistan’s only second of the format in the country this year. They played Australia in a solitary T20I during their historic visit to Lahore in April. Pakistan, however, enter this series at the back of a decent ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in which they ended up as runners-up after losing to Sri Lanka in the final.

They sealed thrillers against India and Afghanistan and have won nine out of their last 13 matches – something that underscores Babar Azam men’s consistency and ability to pull off remarkable wins under pressure.

Pakistan have the services of two of the most successful batters at the top of the order in Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. The two have been outstanding since the start of 2021 with Rizwan scoring 1,630 runs – the most in the period – at 67.91 per dismissal and Babar behind him with 1,073 at 33.53. They are two of the only three batters to score more than a thousand runs in the format in the last 21 months (the third being West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran).

“Playing at home provides a great opportunity for the youngsters to express themselves and it boosts morale when your fans back you,” Babar said to PCB Digital. “I am thrilled and excited for this series. It is an important one for us as it leads us into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. We are all very excited and eager to get going.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has pledged all the gate receipts from the first T20I to Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of the devastating floods that have submerged one-third of the country.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood and Usman Qadir.

SCHEDULE OF MATCHES:

Pakistan v England T20Is (matches to start at 1930 PKT):

20 September – 1st T20I, Karachi

22 September – 2nd T20I, Karachi

23 September – 3rd T20I, Karachi

25 September – 4th T20I, Karachi

28 September – 5th T20I, Lahore

30 September – 6th T20I, Lahore

2 October – 7th T20I, Lahore

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk