Rawalpindi: New Admin and Police Chiefs Installed as Punjab Drives Hospital and Infrastructure Push
Rawalpindi underwent a significant reshuffle of its civil administration and police command as the Punjab government replaced senior officials including the Deputy Commissioner and the City Police Officer. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's government simultaneously advanced two major infrastructure milestones: the inauguration of the Marka-e-Haq Square signal-free corridor and the approval of a 3,000-bed general hospital to be constructed on former government land in the cantonment area. Urban flooding risk persisted in the city after light to heavy rain, while a separate dispute between Punjab's Food Department and flour mill owners over revoked wheat procurement permits raised fears of supply disruptions across Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
🗳️ Punjab Government Installs New Deputy Commissioner and City Police Officer in Rawalpindi Reshuffle
The Punjab government carried out a sweeping reshuffle of Rawalpindi's civil administration and police leadership through a set of official notifications issued by the Punjab Chief Secretary. Commissioner Rawalpindi Aamir Khattak, Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Shehryar Shirazi, and Assistant Commissioner (Saddar) Hakim Khan were all transferred and directed to report to the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) in Punjab. City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Mehmood Hamdani was also transferred and directed to report to the Central Police Office in Lahore. In their place, the government appointed Captain (retired) Nadeem Nasir, who had previously served as Deputy Commissioner Faisalabad, as the new Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi. Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera, who had been serving as DIG Operations of the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department, was posted as the new City Police Officer Rawalpindi. The appointments represent a wholesale change at the top levels of district administration and policing in one of Pakistan's most strategically significant cities, which adjoins the federal capital Islamabad. The reshuffles were announced together and took immediate effect, according to The Express Tribune. No official reason was stated in the notifications for the simultaneous transfer of both the civilian and police heads of the district. [10]
🏢 Punjab Approves Rs50 Billion 3,000-Bed Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif Hospital for Rawalpindi Cantonment
The Punjab government has approved the construction of a 3,000-bed general hospital to be named the Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif General Hospital, to be built on a 36-kanal plot of land along Peshawar Road in Chohar Harpal, Rawalpindi Cantonment. The site was previously used by the Government Transport Service and had remained vacant for 35 years; it is owned by the Punjab Communications Department and will be transferred to the Health Department for the project. The hospital, estimated to cost Rs50 billion, has been planned for launch in the 2027-28 financial year, with funding to be shared between the federal and provincial governments. Its deferral to the next financial year was attributed to a shortage of funds and the ongoing economic situation. The facility will include 13 operation theatres, an outpatient department, two emergency units, and specialised wards covering maternity, paediatric, eye, ENT, kidney, cardiac, orthopaedic, and neurosurgery care. An attached teaching hospital, nursing and doctors' hostels, and departmental laboratories are also planned. Federal Parliamentary Secretary Malik Abrar Ahmed stated that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif had personally selected Rawalpindi Cantonment for the project, noting that the cantonment lacked a major public hospital. He said approximately 500,000 residents would benefit from the facility and that it was expected to be completed within two years of construction commencing. [4]
🗳️ CM Maryam Nawaz Inaugurates Marka-e-Haq Square as Signal-Free Corridor Reaches 25-Kilometre Target
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inaugurated Marka-e-Haq Square in Rawalpindi, marking a milestone in the ongoing Signal-Free Rawalpindi project. The stretch of road from Rawalpindi Kutchery Chowk to the Rekhi Din area has been designated as Marka-e-Haq Square. The inauguration recognised the project's achievement of completing five underpasses, two overhead bridges, and a pedestrian bridge within 179 days. The Chief Minister visited the signal-free corridor in person, inspecting the overhead bridge and surrounding roads, and reviewing progress from Annexy Chowk to GPO Chowk. Provincial Minister for Communications and Works Malik Sohaib Ahmad Bharth provided a detailed briefing on the work completed to date. According to that briefing, more than 200,000 vehicles are expected to use the signal-free corridor daily through one of Rawalpindi's most congested areas. The Marka-e-Haq Square also features what was described as the city's first state-of-the-art pedestrian bridge, according to Radio Pakistan. Two phases of the Rawat-to-Motorway signal-free corridor have been completed, with a third phase to follow. Additional underpasses are planned at Race Course, Chairing Cross, and AFIC Chowk. In total the project will extend to a 25-kilometre signal-free corridor from Rawat to the motorway, comprising nine underpasses and three flyovers. Chief Minister Sharif said the corridor would transform Rawalpindi's urban culture. [5]
🤝 Rawalpindi Mosques Cleaned Under CM's Clean Punjab Programme as Flour Permit Dispute Raises Supply Fears
A special cleanliness operation was carried out at mosques and their surrounding areas across Rawalpindi district on Friday as part of the Punjab government's Clean Programme, aimed at providing worshippers with a clean and hygienic environment for prayer. The campaign was conducted on the directions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and implemented under the supervision of the Chief Executive Officer of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC), Rana Sajid Safdar, according to The News Pakistan. Sanitation workers cleaned the interior and exterior of mosques throughout the district, washed the premises, and sprinkled lime as part of the sanitisation effort. The RWMC spokesman confirmed the operation was conducted under the broader Clean Punjab banner. In a separate development affecting daily life in the city, the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) warned that the Punjab Food Department's decision to revoke wheat procurement permits from flour mills in Rawalpindi Division could trigger a flour supply crisis in the twin cities. The PFMA, which chaired an emergency meeting of its Punjab chapter and Rawalpindi Division leadership under Punjab Chairman Riaz Ullah Khan, warned that mills would suspend production if the permits were not reinstated within 24 hours. Former PFMA Vice Chairman Raza Ahmed Shah called for immediate reinstatement, with the association accusing the Food Department of disrupting the wheat supply chain that Rawalpindi and Islamabad depend upon, as Rawalpindi Division produces little wheat locally. [2]
Sources: [10] The Express Tribune · [4] The Express Tribune · [5] RADIO PAKISTAN · [2] The News Pakistan