Particle.news
Download on the App Store

U.S. Lawmakers Endorse Punjab’s Brick‑Kiln Overhaul as Province Completes Digital Monitoring

A letter from two U.S. congressmen casts Punjab’s kiln modernization as a model for eradicating bonded labor, signaling potential for ethical investment.

Overview

  • Congressmen Thomas R. Suozzi and Jack Bergman wrote to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz praising Punjab’s push to mechanize and clean up the brick‑kiln sector.
  • The letter cites the 2022 U.S. Trafficking in Persons report noting over 4.5 million people in Pakistan trapped in the peshgi bonded‑labor system.
  • The Congressional Pakistan Caucus said the reforms could make Punjab more attractive to U.S. companies and strengthen bilateral economic ties.
  • Senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said every kiln in Punjab has been geo‑mapped, QR‑coded, drone‑surveyed, and linked to a central monitoring dashboard.
  • Officials highlighted briefings by Families Set Free and Dr Rubina Bhatti, while Punjab positions the program as a pilot and shifts public projects toward block‑based construction.