KARACHI: Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Sindh government have joined hands to introduce a Senior Citizen Card for persons aged 60 and above in the southern province, allowing them to avail better access to health care facilities and travel, NADRA said on Wednesday.
The Sindh High Court had ordered the provincial government in 2021 to issue what was then known as the “Azadi Card” for Sindh’s citizens falling in the age bracket of 60 years and above. As per the Sindh Senior Citizens Welfare Act, 2014, the cards would fulfill elderly citizens’ social security needs and provide them benefits.
NADRA said in its press release that the cards, now named Senior Citizen Card, will provide 3.7 million Sindh residents aged 60 and above enhanced access to health care and travel facilities. The agreement to issue the cards was signed between NADRA and the Sindh Social Welfare Department in a ceremony on Wednesday.
“Social Welfare Department Sindh in collaboration with NADRA has launched the Sindh Senior Citizen Card,” NADRA said.
“The program is set to benefit 3.7 million citizens aged 60 and above, providing improved access to health care, travel facilities, and various civic services.”
Sindh Social Welfare Minister Mir Tarique Ali Khan Talpur highlighted that Sindh was the first province in the country to issue a dedicated Senior Citizen Card.
“This initiative underscores our commitment to honoring and caring for this important segment of society,” he said.
Sindh launches ‘Senior Citizen Card’ to provide better health care, travel facilities for elderly
https://arab.news/wnv82
Sindh launches ‘Senior Citizen Card’ to provide better health care, travel facilities for elderly
- Persons aged 60 and above entitled to Senior Citizen Card, says national database registration authority
- Sindh first province in country to issue dedicated senior citizen card, says provincial minister for social welfare
Pakistan’s Sindh orders inquiry after clashes at Imran Khan party rally in Karachi
- Khan’s PTI party accuses police of shelling to disperse its protesters, placing hurdles to hinder rally in Karachi
- Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah vows all those found guilty in the inquiry will be punished
ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province has ordered an inquiry into clashes that took place between police and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Karachi on Sunday, as it held a rally to demand his release from prison.
The provincial government had granted PTI permission to hold a public gathering at Karachi’s Bagh-i-Jinnah Park and had also welcomed Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party is in power, when he arrived in the city last week. However, the PTI cited a delay in receiving a permit and announced a last-minute change to a gate of Mazar-i-Quaid, the mausoleum of the nation’s founder.
Despite the change, PTI supporters congregated at the originally advertised venue. PTI officials claimed the party faced obstacles in reaching the venue and that its supporters were met with police intervention. Footage of police officers arresting Khan supporters in Karachi were shared widely on social media platforms.
“A complete inquiry is being held and whoever is found guilty in this, he will be punished,” Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said while speaking to a local news channel on Sunday.
Shah said the PTI had sought permission to hold its rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah in Karachi from the Sindh government, even though the venue’s administration falls under the federal government’s jurisdiction.
He said problems arose when the no objection certificate to hold the rally was delayed for a few hours and the party announced it would hold the rally “on the road.”
The rally took place amid rising tensions between the PTI and Pakistan’s military and government. Khan, who remains in jail on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated since August 2023, blames the military and the government for colluding to keep him away from power by rigging the 2024 general election and implicating him in false cases. Both deny his allegations.
Since Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote in April 2022, the PTI has complained of a widespread state crackdown, while Khan and his senior party colleagues have been embroiled in dozens of legal cases.
