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The federal government has decided to launch mandatory hepatitis screening for all government employees in Islamabad. Employees working in federal ministries will also be required to undergo screening. The move is part of the government’s efforts to detect hepatitis cases at an early stage and provide timely treatment. According to sources in the Ministry of Health, the screening will be conducted under the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Programme. The programme aims to identify people infected with hepatitis and connect them with free diagnostic and treatment facilities. Employees who test positive during the initial screening will be referred for a PCR test. The PCR test will be provided free of cost under the programme. The government will also provide free medicines to patients after completion of the PCR testing process. The initiative is intended to reduce the financial burden on patients and ensure that those diagnosed with hepatitis receive proper treatment. The Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Programme has a total allocation of Rs67 billion. The funds will be used for screening, diagnostic tests, treatment and other measures aimed at controlling the spread of hepatitis. Free hepatitis screening is already being conducted at different locations across Islamabad. The government plans to expand the screening process to federal government employees as part of the wider programme. Sources said more than 50,000 hepatitis screening kits have already been purchased. The kits will be used to screen employees and identify suspected cases. Machinery for PCR testing has also been installed at the National Institutes of Health in Islamabad. The facility will help process tests for people who are found positive during the initial screening. Health authorities are focusing on early diagnosis because many hepatitis patients may not show clear symptoms in the initial stages. Regular screening can help identify infections before they cause serious health complications. The mandatory screening of government employees is therefore being seen as an important step in strengthening hepatitis prevention and treatment efforts in the federal capital.

The Senate held a detailed discussion on the health of PTI founder Imran Khan. The discussion was held after a demand by Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. The Senate proceedings were also suspended to take up the issue. Speaking in the Senate, Raja Nasir Abbas said Imran Khan was facing punishment for crimes he had not committed. He described the former prime minister’s health as a highly sensitive matter. The opposition leader urged the government to show restraint. He said political differences should not lead to anyone being subjected to unnecessary suffering. Raja Nasir Abbas said the government should focus on resolving the country’s problems instead of pursuing political revenge. He also questioned whether the priority was to fix the system or settle political scores. He demanded that Imran Khan be allowed to meet his personal doctors. He said access to proper medical care was essential, particularly because of concerns about the PTI founder’s health. The opposition leader also called for Imran Khan to be shifted to a hospital if necessary. He demanded that a meeting with him should be allowed. Raja Nasir Abbas said such measures could help prevent a serious situation in the future. He stressed that the authorities should take the health concerns seriously. He also called for politicians to be given an opportunity to run the country. He said political issues should be resolved through political means. The opposition leader also raised the issue of PTI women who are currently in prison. He called for greater attention to their situation. During the debate, Raja Nasir Abbas addressed PML-N Senator Rana Sanaullah. He said Rana Sanaullah knew that the cases against him had not been filed by politicians. Rana Sanaullah responded by asking Raja Nasir Abbas who had filed the case against him. The exchange highlighted the political tensions between the government and opposition benches in the Senate. The debate also brought renewed attention to Imran Khan’s health and the opposition’s demand for greater access to medical care and personal doctors. Opposition lawmakers have continued to raise concerns about the PTI founder’s condition and have called for his medical needs to be addressed without political considerations.

ISLAMABAD: The number of people receiving Pakistan’s civil awards has increased sharply over the past nine years, but the share of women among the recipients has remained almost unchanged, according to an analysis by economist Zehra Farooq. Farooq, who has analysed civil award lists from 2018 to 2026, said she compiled all 2,209 awards announced during the nine-year period and examined each award by field, gender, level of award and nationality. Her analysis shows that the number of award recipients increased more than three times during the period, rising from 73 people in 2018 to 372 in 2026. However, the share of women receiving the awards did not show a similar increase. Women made up between roughly 10% and 16% of civil award recipients in each year from 2018 to 2026. Ms Farooq said the figures show that while the size of the annual awards lists changed greatly, the share of women remained within almost the same range. The lowest share was around 10% in 2023, while the highest was 16% in 2018 and 2021. The share stood at 15% in 2024 before falling to 12% in 2025 and 11% in 2026. Her analysis also looked at the figures after excluding gallantry awards. Gallantry awards were kept separate because they mainly relate to military and police roles. Even after removing these awards, the overall share of women increased only from around 12% to 14%, according to the analysis. This suggests that the low share of women is not limited to gallantry awards. Farooq said the same pattern can also be seen in civilian awards. Public service awards show a wider gap The Public Service category is the largest civilian category in the dataset and shows a particularly large difference between men and women. Among Pakistani recipients of Public Service awards, 295 were men and only 27 were women. This means men received about 92% of these awards, while women received only around 8%. Farooq noted that in several years, the entire Public Service list included only one or two women. The figures raise questions about how women are represented among people being recognised for public service. The analysis does not, however, establish why the gap exists. Farooq suggested that one possibility worth examining is whether the awards reflect the existing structure of Pakistan’s civil bureaucracy. She noted that the quota for women in the civil bureaucracy is around 10%, while the share of awards going to women remains below or around that level. This raises a question about whether the civil awards are reflecting the existing gender structure in public institutions rather than creating a separate pattern of their own. Major changes in fields The analysis also found major changes in the fields represented in the civil award lists. Science and engineering together accounted for close to one-third of the 2021 list. However, by 2025 and 2026, the two fields together made up less than 2% of the list. At the same time, some new categories appeared. Information technology appeared as a category for the first time in 2021, while climate appeared in 2025. Farooq said these changes raise questions about how the state decides which areas deserve recognition. She asked whether the decline in science and engineering awards reflects fewer major contributions in these fields, fewer people entering these professions, or a change in the areas where the state looks for achievement. The appearance of IT and climate-related awards also raises another question: whether official recognition is beginning to follow changes in the areas where Pakistan’s talent and work are growing. Women receive fewer top-level awards The analysis also examined the civil awards according to their level. The awards are divided into different levels, with Nishan and Hilal at the senior end, followed by Sitara and Tamgha. Ms Farooq found that the share of women becomes smaller as the level of the award becomes higher. At the two highest levels, women account for less than 5% of recipients. At the more common lower levels, the share of women is higher, generally ranging between 11% and 14%. This means that the overall percentage of women receiving civil awards does not tell the full story. Women may represent around 10% to 16% of all recipients in a year, but their representation becomes much smaller when only the highest-level honours are considered. The findings therefore point to two separate issues: the overall number of women receiving civil awards and the level of recognition they receive. Nine years provide a wider picture Ms Farooq said looking at the awards over several years gives a clearer picture than looking at a single annual list. The civil awards are announced every August, and each year’s list can show changes in the number and type of recipients. But when the lists are combined over nine years, longer-term patterns become visible. The biggest pattern in the data is the contrast between the rapidly growing number of awards and the almost unchanged share of women. From 73 recipients in 2018, the annual list reached 372 in 2026. Yet women remained within roughly the same 10% to 16% range throughout the period. The analysis also shows that the composition of the awards has changed in other ways, including the fields being recognised and the introduction of new categories. She said the data does not provide all the answers, but it raises questions that can be examined further.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui has warned that relations between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have become increasingly tense following the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. Speaking to journalists outside Parliament, Faruqui said the situation between the two coalition partners was currently strained. She added that it was difficult to predict how the political situation would develop in the coming days. Her remarks came amid discussions over the political relationship between the PPP and PML-N and growing differences on several issues. Faruqui said the issue of creating new administrative units should be handled through Parliament. She opposed turning the matter into a debate primarily conducted through television channels. She said any proposal to create new administrative units should be formally brought before the National Assembly and the Senate. According to her, Parliament is the appropriate forum for discussing matters that could have major constitutional and administrative implications. The PPP leader stressed that such issues require detailed debate and consultation. She said lawmakers should have the opportunity to examine the proposals and discuss their possible political, administrative and constitutional consequences. Faruqui also highlighted the impact of the AJK elections on relations between the PPP and PML-N. She said the situation between the two parties had become “very tense” after the elections. She warned that the political developments could take different turns. Her comments indicate that differences between the coalition partners may become more prominent if the issues are not addressed through dialogue. The PPP and PML-N have remained key political partners at the federal level. However, differences between the two parties have surfaced on various political and administrative matters. Faruqui’s comments come at a time when the question of new administrative units has also generated political debate. The proposal has attracted attention because any major change in the administrative structure could have wider political and constitutional implications. The PPP lawmaker maintained that such a sensitive issue should not be settled through media discussions. She called for the matter to be brought before both houses of Parliament for a proper debate. Her statement also reflects the growing political uncertainty following the AJK elections, with questions emerging over the future course of relations between the PPP and PML-N.

Speakers at a seminar on the creation of new provinces in Pakistan have said that establishing new administrative units could directly benefit the public. The seminar was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad. MQM leader Mustafa Kamal, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja addressed the gathering. The speakers described the creation of new provinces as necessary to address public problems. They also stressed the need for a strong and empowered local government system. The participants said Pakistan needs new administrative units to improve governance and ensure that resources are distributed at the grassroots level. Mustafa Kamal said the existing system had failed to ensure effective accountability of governments. He added that even if new provinces were created, a strong local government system would remain necessary. PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira suggested that the debate over creating new provinces should take place within the constitutional framework. He also called for strengthening the local government system. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that even after the creation of new provinces, some provinces would still have populations running into millions. The speakers agreed that administrative reforms were necessary to improve governance and ensure a more effective distribution of resources among the people.