Renaming of Jinnah institute: Punjab ministers make contradictory claims

Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has clarified that there is no plan to rename Jinnah Institute of Cardiology after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and refuted news item going round on on social media platforms. 

In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the senior minister emphasized that the institute will retain its existing name. “The name 'Jinnah Institute of Cardiology Lahore' remains 'Jinnah Institute of Cardiology Lahore' and no changes are under consideration,” she wrote. 

However, talking to a private TV channel, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique clarified claimed that the proposed renaming of the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology has been finalized. 

He stated Chief Minister Maryam has opposed the name change. The health minister further clarified that CM Maryam had no role in the initial decision to change the name, which was taken at the cabinet and departmental levels. “The chief minister has now issued clear instructions that there will be no change in the name of the institute,” Rafique added. He further said that the decision to rename the institute was taken at the cabinet and departmental level.

Just a day ago, Khawaja Salman Rafique had confirmed the name change in a conversation with a private TV, claiming that the renaming reflected the hospital's new identity as a separate, independent entity, no longer functioning as an expansion project of Jinnah Hospital.

He had also revealed that the Maryam Nawaz Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases was being developed with a futuristic approach to meet international standards in cardiac treatment.