LAHORE   -   Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naq­vi has strongly denounced the dissemination of baseless propaganda by certain elements regarding the acquisition of new vehicles for officers. He emphasized that providing ve­hicles to field officers is essential for enabling them to carry out their duties effectively. He expressed concern that some individuals are attempting to withhold vehicles from officers, presuming that it may lead to corruption and illicit means of obtaining personal vehicles. The CM pointed out that such criticisms lack consideration of the facts and seem to be driven solely by the desire to criticize without merit. The critics’ belief that deputy commis­sioners and assistant commissioners might resort to illegal means to acquire money for personal vehicles in the absence of official ones is unfounded. Depriving officers of vehi­cles could compel them to seek unauthorized methods to fulfill their transportation needs. Proposing that officers use public ride-hailing services while conducting field duties raises practical challenges. Given the vast number of government employees in Punjab, totaling 1.4 million, carrying out fieldwork without ve­hicles poses a significant obstacle. To address this issue, the government has also arranged for the repair of 1,500 vehicles, the CM stated.