125 Panahgahs under the Ehsaas Program by PTI continue to remain operational as revealed by PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry.
Pakistan is currently going through tough economic conditions as inflation continues to reach new heights, breaking the backs of the public. The flour shortage within the country has also intensified.
As the tough economic situation exacerbates, netizens can often be found making comparisons between Pakistan’s economic prosperity during the incumbent PML-N government and the previous government of PTI. In this regard, one of Pakistan’s leading journalists Sabir Shakir shared an old picture of former Prime Minister Imran Khan distributing free food.
Read more: PML-N govt denies closing shelter homes after social media backlash
While retweeting the picture, Fawad Chaudhry revealed that 125 Panahgas are still operating and they continue to serve 100,000 citizens daily. He also said that Imran Khan opened shelter homes with the help of philanthropists instead of the government, and these people are still managing the shelters.
اس وقت بھی الحمدللّٰہ 125 پناہ گائیں گنکشنل ہیں جہاں سے ایک لاکھ شہری روزانہ کھانا کھاتے ہیں، عمران خان نے پناہ گاہ سرکاری کے بجائے مخیر حضرات کے عطیات سے کھولے تھے اور یہی لوگ اب تک ان پناہ گاہوں کا انتظام و انصرام کر رہے ہیں https://t.co/tnmGBMy4CJ
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 9, 2023
In a bid to transform Pakistan into a welfare state, PTI Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan had launched Panahgahs (shelter homes) under the Ehsaas Program to provide accommodation and food to laborers.
The objectives of the Panahgahs were to provide instant relief for needy persons and provide them with basic necessities, while also offering shelter from extreme weather. Food trucks and soup kitchens were also set up under the “Ehsaas koi bhooka na soye program” to provide free meals to the daily wage earners.
Needless to say, the initiative was largely welcomed by the public. However, the incumbent PML-N-led government is rather critical of the Panahgahs. Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal once criticized the former government for over-selling the reach of Ehsaas soup kitchens which led to a strong reaction from Ehsaas founder Dr. Sania Nishtar.
Read more: Dr. Sania Nishtar hits back at Ahsan Iqbal on Ehsaas soup kitchens
In another instance, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country’s economic situation is worse than our expectations and the Langar Khana (soup kitchens) cannot be run, while the real job of the government is to provide employment.