MUZAFFARGARH: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar visited Kot Addu THQ Hospital on Friday, inspected its quarantine centre and ordered to upgrade the hospital to grade B from 60 to 151 beds on the request of MPA Sardar Ashraf Rind.

On his return from Taunsa Sharif, the chief minister landed at Kirariwala Bungalow, the irrigation department rest house, where strict security measures had been taken.

Later, he met disgruntled PML-N MPA Sardar Azhar Abbas Chandia, federal minister Dr Shabbir Ali Qureshi and MPA Niaz Khan Gishkori, while MPA Rind hosted him in the city.

Talking to Dawn, MPA Chandia claimed that all the matters related to a forward bloc had been discussed with the chief minister during their earlier meeting, and on Friday he had just come to visit the CM, who was in town. Some MPAs claimed that following Chandia’s meeting with the CM, all the funds for development schemes in his constituency had been released that were earlier stuck.

The chief minister also met other party workers along with his brother Sardar Umer Buzdar. He also met district administration officials and Dera Ghazi Khan Regional Police Officer Imran Ahmar, District Police Officer Syed Nadeem Abbas and Deputy Commissioner Amjad Shoaib Tareen briefed him about all arrangements for coronavirus patients in the district.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Meanwhile, talking to the media in his hometown of Taunsa Sharif, Mr Buzdar said: “This is not the time to do politics, but to serve the humanity that is under the attack of coronavirus. People have seen the dual face of the opposition.”

The CM had reached Taunsa on Thursday evening after inaugurating the wheat harvest campaign in Rujhan Mazari tehsil of Rajanpur district.

During a tour of the city without protocol, he took notice of the poor hygiene and sanitary conditions and directed assistant commissioners of the tehsil to improve the situation, sources told Dawn.

He told the media that only joint efforts could help stop the spread of the deadly virus, raising the slogan ‘Stay home, stay safe’.

Responding to a query about a journalists colony, the chief minister claimed that the sphere of such a residential locality was being expanded to divisional level. He assured the public that during the pandemic the government would not leave the poor alone.

Later, he visited Wahowa town and announced upgrading of the rural health centre besides establishment of a trauma centre and provision of necessary equipments, including colour X-ray machine. He also directed to complete various link roads.

Mr Buzdar also visited the Kari Marrh tribal area and sat on the floor with the tribesmen for meeting them. The tribesmen demanded establishment of school, provision of doctors, medicines and a veterinarian.

The chief minister directed the department concerned to fulfil the demands immediately.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2020