{"id":50564,"date":"2025-11-20T16:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/?p=50564"},"modified":"2026-05-08T09:53:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:53:33","slug":"us-lawmakers-laud-punjab-govts-initiative-to-modernise-brick-kiln","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/?p=50564","title":{"rendered":"US lawmakers laud Punjab govt&#8217;s initiative to modernise brick-kiln"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"medium-insert-images norender-embeds ui-sortable\">\n<figure contenteditable=\"false\"><figcaption contenteditable=\"true\" class=\"\" spellcheck=\"false\">Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz attends ceremony in this undated image. \u2014 Facebook\/@MaryamNSharif<\/figcaption><grammarly-extension data-grammarly-shadow-root=\"true\" class=\"dnXmp\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; pointer-events: none; z-index: 1; --rem: 16;\"\/><grammarly-extension data-grammarly-shadow-root=\"true\" class=\"dnXmp\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; pointer-events: none; z-index: 1; --rem: 16;\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>ISLAMABAD: The Congressional Pakistan Caucus has applauded Punjab\u2019s drive to modernise its brick-kiln sector, saying the reforms could serve as a pilot for eliminating bonded labour and attracting ethical foreign investment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c&#8230;we extend our sincere appreciation for your government\u2019s visionary efforts to moderni[s]e Punjab\u2019s brick kiln industry as a means to address environmental challenges and eliminate bonded labo[u]r,\u201d wrote Congressmen Thomas Suozzi and Jack Bergman in a letter addressed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.<\/p>\n<p>Citing the US State Department\u2019s 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, the lawmakers noted that more than 4.5 million people in Pakistan remain trapped in the peshgi system, an entrenched bonded-labour practice.<\/p>\n<p>They said the briefings they received highlighted the provincial administration\u2019s \u201cstrong commitment to this transformative initiative\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The letter emphasised that mechanising and modernising the brick kiln sector would help Pakistan meet international obligations while making Punjab \u201ca more attractive destination for foreign direct investment\u201d, particularly from American businesses seeking ethical and sustainable partnerships.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese reforms will enhance bilateral economic relations and strengthen the overall Pakistan-US partnership,\u201d the caucus wrote, adding that Punjab is well placed to serve as a pilot province for the initiative.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers reaffirmed their support, stating: \u201cThe Pakistan Caucus wholeheartedly supports all efforts to end bonded labo[u]r,\u201d and encouraged the provincial leadership to reach out for assistance whenever needed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n      \/*var images = 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\/><b>PNP<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz attends ceremony in this undated image. \u2014 Facebook\/@MaryamNSharif ISLAMABAD: The Congressional Pakistan Caucus has applauded Punjab\u2019s drive to modernise its brick-kiln sector, saying the reforms could serve as a pilot for eliminating bonded labour and attracting ethical foreign investment. \u201c&#8230;we extend our sincere appreciation for your government\u2019s visionary efforts to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50564"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50566,"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50564\/revisions\/50566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/50565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raonama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}