A member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow Region has lauded the performance of the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) and sought a similar service to be adopted for other provinces, including Balochistan and Sindh. MSP Malik Hanzala hailing from Pakistan is an active member of the Scottish Parliament, Deputy Convener of European and External Relations Committee, member of Public Petitions Committee and other multiple Cross-Party Groups in the Scottish Parliament.
He has said he did offer his willingness to cooperate with the Punjab Emergency Service in the past to set up a maiden modern fire service in Pakistan by providing opportunities of training rescue officers in Scotland. On Monday, MSP Hanzala visited the Rescue 1122 Headquarters and the Provincial Monitoring Cell, where Rescue 1122 Director General Arshad Zia, flanked by senior rescue officers, briefed his guest about emergency medical; fire and rescue cover provided to the mourning processions across the Punjab.
MSP Hanzala also witnessed emergency arrangements made to cater any untoward incident in Lahore, where 30 ambulances, 15 fire-engines, four rescue vans and five special vehicles were deployed with 50 rescue posts equipped with emergency medical kits. Praising the Rescue 1122 role in establishing safe communities in Pakistan, MSP Hanzala said, "The emergency services are available across the Punjab at a distance of single call made at emergency number '1122' and now the replication of this integrated model of Emergency Management and Disaster Response should be rolled out in other provinces for safety of citizens."