KP (Peshawar) Secures Second Position

By Dr Ansab Ali Lahore Pakistan

LAHORE: Rescue 1122 Gujranwala Division emerged as the champion of the National Rescue Challenge 2026, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Peshawar) secured the second position at the three-day competition held at the Emergency Services Academy, Lahore.

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain congratulated the winning team, the runner-up team and the winners of various individual challenges at the closing ceremony.

He said the National Rescue Challenge provided an excellent platform to enhance the capabilities of emergency services across Pakistan while promoting brotherhood, unity and the spirit of patriotism.

Rana Tanveer Hussain said the event was not merely a competition but an important opportunity for rescuers from different provinces and institutions to exchange experiences, skills, best practices and professional expertise. Such activities, he added, promoted mutual cooperation, coordination and national unity.

He stressed that in view of natural disasters, floods and the growing impacts of climate change, effective disaster response and strong coordination among relevant institutions were essential.

The minister said Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) had played a vital role in saving millions of lives during challenging situations, particularly during recent floods. He added that the real success of a rescuer was not winning a trophy but saving human lives during emergencies.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Emergency Services Dr. Rizwan Naseer congratulated the winning teams and said the conclusion of the National Rescue Challenge 2026 on October 8, National Resilience Day, reaffirmed the commitment that trained rescuers, prepared communities and coordinated emergency services were the foundation of a safe and resilient Pakistan.

He said the National Rescue Challenge helped strengthen coordination, teamwork and professional learning among rescue teams while promoting uniform standards of emergency response.

Dr. Rizwan Naseer said Rescue 1122 had provided emergency services to more than 20 million people in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) standards. He added that the Motorbike Rescue Service had responded to more than five million emergencies with an average response time of less than five minutes.

He further said the Fire Service had responded to more than 300,000 fire emergencies and saved property worth over Rs800 billion. Rescue 1122, he added, had also rescued more than 470,000 flood victims through boat operations during floods.

He said the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) had continued to enhance its operational capacity in line with evolving needs, circumstances and emerging challenges.

The closing ceremony was attended by Member Provincial Assembly Sunbal Malik Hussain, Federal Secretary Water and Power Development Authority Aziz Ahmad Jamali, Secretary Emergency Services Dr. Rizwan Naseer, Director Emergency Services, District Emergency Officers of Punjab Emergency Service, under-training rescuers from Punjab and other provinces, and a large number of civil society representatives.

The three-day National Rescue Challenge featured realistic search, rescue and emergency response exercises in Trauma Management, Fire Fitness, Swimming, Cable Cart and Height Rescue, Water Rescue and Deep Well Rescue. All challenges were evaluated by senior instructors in accordance with international emergency response standards.

Gujranwala Division emerged as the overall champion by demonstrating the best performance across the challenges, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Peshawar) secured the overall second position.

In the individual events, Gujranwala secured first position in the Water Rescue and Lead Fire Rescue (LFR) Fire Fitness challenges. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Peshawar) secured first position in the Fire Rescuer (FR) Fire Fitness challenge, while Multan topped the Trauma Management challenge.

The Sindh Abdullah Shah Ghazi team secured first position in Swimming, Lahore stood first in the Deep Well Rescue Challenge, while Bahawalpur and Lahore jointly secured first position in the Height Rescue Challenge.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain distributed trophies and certificates among the winning teams.