As the holy month of Ramzan approaches, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has mobilized the Suthra Punjab workforce to ensure mosques across Lahore and the province are thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the faithful.
The Suthra Punjab initiative, launched by CM Maryam Nawaz in December 2024, represents Pakistan’s largest province-wide sanitation campaign. Around 100,000 people have been employed for the project, engaged to clean city roads and streets, with 21,000 modern machines and more than 80,000 pieces of equipment provided for cleaning and garbage collection across Punjab.
The ‘Suthra Punjab’ workforce, comprising 150,000 members, is the largest of its kind, according to the Chief Minister. These workers, whom CM Maryam has called her “sanitation heroes,” have been tasked with comprehensive cleaning operations ahead of Ramzan, which is expected to begin around February 19, 2026.
The mosque cleaning drive is part of broader pre-Ramzan preparations. The Punjab government launched the Ramadan Nigehban (Guardian Ramadan) Package to deliver essential food items to needy people before the start of Ramadan, with a massive budget of Rs 47 billion to ease inflation burdens.
Suthra Punjab workers are among the beneficiaries of enhanced Rashan Card support, with monthly aid increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000, recognizing their crucial role in maintaining provincial cleanliness.
CM Maryam has consistently emphasized dignity for sanitation workers. She remarked, “If I, as Chief Minister, can wear a commando’s uniform, why not that of my sanitation heroes?” and even wore a sanitation worker’s jacket in symbolic solidarity.
The mosque cleaning initiative ensures that places of worship are spotless for Taraweeh prayers and other Ramzan activities, demonstrating the government’s commitment to both spiritual and environmental cleanliness during the blessed month.
