LAHORE: Pakistan police raided the house of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nephew on Saturday in eastern Lahore, after a video emerged showing him taking part in deadly hospital riots days earlier.
Three patients died, medical officials said, after roughly 200 lawyers stormed Punjab Heart Institute hospital in the city on Wednesday, vandalising property and setting ablaze a police van after a dispute with doctors.
TV channels ran footage showing Khan’s nephew Hassan Niazi, a lawyer, at the hospital and watching as a police vehicle was set on fire.
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan’s nephew’s house and other premises, such as farmhouse and business places were raided,” Punjab’s Minister for Information Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan confirmed at a press conference on Saturday.
Chohan, who said five locations had been investigated by police, added: “He will be arrested at any cost... all are equal in the eye of law.”
A senior police official also confirmed to AFP the raid was made early Saturday morning, but Niazi was not present.
In an earlier, now-deleted tweet, Khan’s nephew had expressed support for the rally but later distanced himself from the actions of the lawyers present.
“My support and protest was limited to initiation of legal action against the concerned doctors. I only stand for peaceful protests. It’s sad day and I condemn my own self for supporting this protest now,” he tweeted.
Around 80 lawyers have been arrested and Khan — who has not commented on his nephew — has ordered an inquiry into the riot.
Pakistan police raid house of PM Imran Khan’s nephew
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Pakistan police raid house of PM Imran Khan’s nephew
- The PM's nephew, a lawyer, was caught on video partaking in a violent protest at a local hospital, led by members of the legal fraternity
- PM Khan, who has not commented on his nephew, has ordered an inquiry into the riot
Pakistan lauds female polio workers as push to end virus intensifies
- Acknowledgement comes as Pakistan marks annual campaign promoting women’s rights and safety
- Ayesha Raza Farooq says the real strength of the polio program is its female workers and their bravery
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top polio official on Tuesday praised the country’s female vaccination workers for their “extraordinary contribution” to the eradication drive, saying their efforts were central to ending the virus as Pakistan marked the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an annual campaign to promote women’s rights and safety.
Female health workers administer the majority of polio drops in Pakistan, going door to door in remote, high-risk and conservative communities where women are best positioned to gain access to children.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, alongside neighboring Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic. The country has so far reported 30 cases this year.
“What you do is extraordinary, and your courage in all circumstances is the reason Pakistan will soon be polio-free,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person on polio eradication, during a meeting with frontline workers in Islamabad.
“Pakistan’s real strength in this program is its female polio workers,” she added.
Farooq said she had listened to the concerns of field teams and assured them of full government support.
She maintained that female vaccinators had shown “remarkable bravery” despite difficult terrain, security concerns and community resistance in some areas.
In October, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) named Farooq Pakistan’s first gender champion for her leadership in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in public health and in the eradication effort.
Pakistan is scheduled to kick off the last nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive of 2025, according to the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC), with an aim to inoculate 45 million children.
The NEOC has also urged parents to coordinate with health workers during the campaign.
