CM calls for collective efforts to ensure social justice

Says widening rich-poor gap fueling challenges; pledges welfare reforms

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has called upon all segments of society to work collectively for the promotion of social justice, saying that justice and equality are fundamental to sustainable progress.

In her message on the World Day of Social Justice, the chief minister said her party, Pakistan Muslim League-N, firmly believed in upholding the principles of social justice and had placed the provision of justice and equal opportunities among its top priorities.

She said Islam strongly advocates social justice, equality and peaceful coexistence, adding that the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) offer a timeless message of fairness, compassion and respect for humanity.

Maryam observed that societies lacking social justice fall behind in the race for development, stressing that justice and equality form the bedrock of any civilised society.

Referring to contemporary challenges, she noted that the widening economic divide between the rich and the poor was giving rise to social issues.

She said initiatives such as the Minority Card and Himmat Card programmes reflected practical steps towards achieving the broader goal of social justice in the province.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government's Stroke Management Programme has enabled a 45-year-old man to recover from a severe paralytic stroke after receiving timely and free treatment, officials said on Friday.

Muhammad Imran, an employee of Pakistan Post, was shifted to Services Hospital Lahore after suffering a sudden stroke that left him unable to speak and paralysed the left side of his body, with his arm, hand and leg rendered immobile.

Doctors said he was brought to the emergency stroke management centre within four hours of the attack, allowing immediate medical intervention.

He was administered Tenecteplase (TNK), a latest clot-dissolving injection used for acute stroke patients.

Officials said the injection, costing between Rs350,000 and Rs400,000, is being provided free of charge under special directives of the chief minister.

According to doctors, Imran began regaining movement in his limbs within hours of receiving the injection and was able to speak again. Expressing gratitude, the patient thanked the chief minister and the medical team for the timely treatment and free medication, saying the programme had given him a "second healthy life".

Officials added that more than 700 stroke patients across Punjab had recovered under the programme so far. The government has also approved the establishment of stroke management facilities at all district headquarters hospitals, with neurologists to be appointed at each centre to strengthen emergency response and specialised care.