Lahore: Interim Punjab Health Minister Dr. Javed Akram disclosed on Wednesday that two individuals were apprehended in connection with the Avastin injection scandal.

Dr. Javed Akram emphasized that there would be no leniency shown towards any suspects involved in the case.

The Avastin injection issue came to light when numerous diabetic patients in Lahore, Kasur, and Jhang districts were administered these injections to treat retinal damage, but instead, they developed severe infections. This alarming situation initially emerged with reported cases of adverse reactions to the drug in Kasur district.

The medical professionals revealed that the affected patients suffered from endophthalmitis, a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the inner eye coatings, leading to vision loss.

The authorities reported that approximately 68 patients in the province experienced significant vision impairment since the scam came to light. In response, the Punjab government placed an indefinite ban on the use of the eye drug across the province and also launched a data collection portal to gather information on affected patients and provide them with necessary treatment.

A comprehensive investigation was currently underway to determine the key factors contributing to vision loss among patients who received the injection in Punjab.

During a media briefing on Wednesday, the provincial health minister informed journalists about the arrest of two suspects linked to the injection scam. He assured the public that the incident was being thoroughly investigated from all angles, with a commitment to bringing all those involved in the scam to justice.

Dr. Akram asserted that the Punjab government was not under any external pressure during this investigation. He further revealed that surgeries were performed on 15 out of the 68 affected patients, and authorities were dedicated to restoring the vision of these individuals. Besides it, all outlets selling the adulterated eye drug were sealed.

In a previous development, the Board of Commissioners of the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) instructed senior management to conduct special inspections of hospitals where cases of eye infections resulted from the administration of Avastin injections to patients.

These directives were issued during an emergency meeting of the PHC Board of Commissioners chaired by retired Justice Muhammad Bilal Khan. A representative of the PHC also provided an update on the meeting convened by both interim provincial health ministers, Prof. Javed Akram and Dr. Jamal Nasir.

Islamabad:  The preliminary delimitation lists were released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday, marking a significant step in the electoral process.

In a statement released by the ECP, it was disclosed that the preliminary delimitation report, in conjunction with Form 5 lists and initial delimitation maps, has been made accessible on the commission's official website.

The publication of preliminary constituencies is set to span 30 days, commencing from September 27 and concluding on October 26.

During this period, voters of the respective constituencies are invited to submit objections or representations regarding the preliminary constituencies.

Preliminary Delimitation 2023:https://t.co/MOWjaTT94Q #ECP pic.twitter.com/471hNlcOcu

— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) September 27, 2023

Originally, the ECP had outlined an initial delimitation schedule on August 17, with plans to finalize the initial delimitation process on October 7 and subsequently release preliminary delimitation proposals and accompanying reports on October 9. However, on September 1, the ECP announced a 14-day compression of the delimitation timeline, with the aim of concluding the process by November 30 instead of the initially planned December 14 date.

This development paves the way for the Election Commission to make a decision on the scheduling of elections, tentatively set for the last week of January. The specific election date has yet to be officially announced.

The report also detailed the methodology employed by the ECP in delimiting national and provincial assembly seats. It explained that the population of each province or area was divided by the total number of general seats, resulting in the average population per National Assembly seat.

A similar process was applied to provincial assembly seats, with fractions exceeding 0.5 being considered as one seat, and fractions below 0.5 disregarded.

Furthermore, the report acknowledged the unique situation in Balochistan, where multiple districts were amalgamated to form a single seat. This approach was also utilized in other provinces as needed, with district shares determined by dividing the district's population by the quota per seat for the National or Provincial Assembly, as applicable.

According to the report's findings, Punjab has the highest number of seats in the National Assembly, followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad. Punjab, with a population of 127.6 million, was allocated 141 National Assembly seats, each constituency based on a quota of 905,595. The Punjab Assembly was assigned 297 seats, with a quota of 429,929 per seat.

In Sindh, 61 National Assembly seats were designated for a population of 55.6 million, with a quota of 913,052 per seat. The Sindh Assembly had 130 seats, each with a quota of 428,432.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a population of 40.8 million, was granted 45 National Assembly seats, each with a quota of 907,913. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was allotted 115 seats, with a quota of 355,270.

Balochistan, with a population of 14.8 million, was allocated 16 National Assembly seats, and each constituency was divided based on a quota of 930,900. The provincial assembly of Balochistan comprised 51 seats, with each seat divided based on a quota of 292,047.

Meanwhile, Islamabad, the federal capital, with a population of 2.3 million, was allocated 3 seats, and each seat's quota was determined to be 787,954.

Last week, the ECP announced that the general elections in Pakistan would be held in the last week of January 2024. The electoral body also indicated that the final list of constituencies would be published on November 30, following the consideration of objections and suggestions related to the delimitation.

Islamabad: In the wake of the recently implemented constituency delimitations, there have been significant alterations in the criteria for selecting the Prime Minister in Pakistan.

With the Election Commission's issuance of the updated constituency delimitations, the threshold for electing a new Prime Minister has been adjusted to require 169 votes. This is a notable shift from the previous requirement of 172 votes under the former constituency boundaries.

The total number of seats in the National Assembly has seen an increase to 266, including 60 seats reserved for women. Consequently, the total count of seats in the National Assembly has now reached 326.

It's worth highlighting that the Election Commission has released an exhaustive preliminary list detailing the new constituency delimitations, providing comprehensive information regarding constituencies for both the national and provincial assemblies. These changes in electoral boundaries are expected to influence the dynamics of the upcoming political landscape.