The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) failed to celebrate Fire Brigade Day with pomp and splendour as directed by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, on Wednesday. Many high-up officials, who were invited as guests of honour on the CDGL’s event and whom the CM had directed to ensure their presence, did not show up. According to the CM’s directive, DCO Ahad Cheema, Lahore Commissioner Nadeem Hasan Asif, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Rana Mashood and Provincial Education Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman were officially invited to attend the event at the Jinnah Hall in Town Hall, but none of them showed up to express their solidarity with the firefighters.
The show was a flop. It started with a delay of 30 minutes. The high-up officials absence played down the celebrations as the firefighters kept waiting for the decision makers so that they could present their demands. A fire fighter, seeking anonymity, said, “We want insurance rewards like policemen, we need better fire trucks and equipment, but our top decision makers didn’t show up at all.” District Officer Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi, Deputy District Officer Naseem and Fire Brigade Union Leader Munir spoke on the occasion, after which fire fighters walked from the Town Hall to the Punjab Assembly.
Walk participants chanted slogans favouring the Fire Brigade Department.
Rescue 1122 conducted walks to pay tribute to the fire fighters who lost their lives saving citizens. In the walk, the Rescue 1122 staff participated with full rescue equipment and emergency vehicles.
