It might prove only a truce before both parties start afresh with their favourite sport of pulling each other’s legs, but the national political horizon looks a bit calm for the time being. Such was the indication given by Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz Senator Ishaq Dar who on Wednesday claimed that with the transfer of Sheikh Zayed Hospital (SZH) Lahore to the Punjab government, the turf war going on for the last year and a half between the federal and provincial government had ended.
He was speaking here at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) after the inauguration of faculty lodges and a multipurpose examination hall complex at the university.
He said his party assured the federal government that if its demand of handing over SZH to Punjab was fulfilled, it would support the federal government over the passage of the 20th Amendment. “We promised the PPP-led federal coalition government that as soon as SZH is transferred to Punjab, the provincial assembly would pass a resolution within 48 hours in favour of the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) to be established at the Centre for exercising coordinated control over the drugs manufactured in Pakistan or imported from other countries,” he added.
He said further that the transfer notification of the hospital was issued on Tuesday evening and the Punjab Assembly passed the resolution in favour of the DRA within 16 hours instead of the promised 48 hours.
He said further that Pakistan was going through difficult times and the only way out of this mess was through good governance, self-accountability and corruption-free practices.
Speaking on the occasion, UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Malik Hussain Mubbashar said that UHS had entered into strategic partnerships with renowned international universities including University of Liverpool, UK University of Glasgow, University College Dublin, Ireland, and University of Eastern Finland. UHS Registrar Dr Asad Zaheer and Controller of Examinations Prof Junaid S Khan also spoke on the occasion.