Netizens in Pakistan are full of praise for their Prime Minister Imran Khan who has come out in support of the poorest of the poor struggling in the open despite the country facing extreme cold conditions.
The reactions came in the wake of Pakistan's prime minister tweeting about helping out homeless people.
In view of the bone-chilling winter conditions affecting people in different parts of the country, Imran Khan has directed the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to set up shelters and arrange for meals for the underprivileged.
“Their administrations must take immediate action to provide temporary shelters plus food for those who cannot be accommodated in existing Panagahs (shelters)", he tweeted.
He has said that if existing shelters don’t have adequate space to accomodate the underprivileged, temporary shelters must be set up for them.
Following the prime minister’s directive, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has asked to set up temporary shelter homes “for those who slept on roadsides in extreme cold weather”, Pakistan media reported.
Stating that protection of the homeless from extreme weather was the state’s responsibility, the Punjab chief minister said temporary shelter homes would be set up in the districts with no permanent shelter homes.
The Punjab government had already established panagahs in five locations in Lahore, including Railway Station, Thokar Niaz Baig, Badami Bagh, Data Darbar, and Lorry Adda with two more in the pipeline. It is set to build shelter homes in 36 districts to accommodate the needy and homeless, Dawn reported.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial government is also providing shelter and food to homeless people in different cities.
Prime Minister Khan’s tweet has prompted a response from main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N). Marriyum Aurangzeb, a PML-N secretary sought to remind Khan of his promises to provide five million homes and 10 million jobs to the public.
Auarangzeb said in place of focusing on shelter homes and soup kitchens, Khan would be better off keeping his word.