U-turn | Pakistan

LAHORE: Strong reaction on social media seems to have forced the Punjab government to take a ‘U-turn’ on naming the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. “The name of the institution remains ‘Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, Lahore’ and no change is under consideration. In the Punjab government’s annual development programme for the fiscal year 2025-26, funding has been allocated under the name Jinnah Institute of Cardiology,” Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a post on ‘X’ on Tuesday. “As part of the efforts to provide world-class treatment for cardiac and other diseases, 14 new hospitals will be established in the Nawaz Sharif Medical District. The master plan for this project is near completion,” Ms Aurangzeb said and asked journalists to “verify the facts” before publishing any news. The controversy stemmed from the speech of the chief minister in the Punjab Assembly and a subsequent statement by Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique. The minister...