Two young daughters of kabaddi player Naveed Pahlwan died on Monday in Gujranwala’s Eminabad area after consuming fast food from a market. Three other children and their parents remain in critical condition.

 

A leading English newspaper quoted Pahlwan as saying that the family had ordered food during a birthday celebration.

 

“The family, including me, my wife, and five children, was taken to the hospital after feeling sick,” he said, adding that two of the children, an eight-year-old and a four-year-old, passed away, while two others are in critical condition.

 

The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) sealed the suspected food outlets after the incident, according to an official notification issued on Monday.

 

“On the directions of Punjab Food Authority Director General Muhammad Asim Javaid, food safety teams conducted a crackdown in Eminabad following the alleged death of two minor girls due to toxic food,” the statement read.

 

The operation was carried out after the family identified the food vendors. “During the raid, two food outlets were sealed and various food samples, including cake, cream, red chilli powder, cooking oil, and chicken, were collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis,” it added.

 

The PFA spokesperson said further action would be taken once laboratory results were available. “[The] initial medical findings revealed the children had been unwell for several days and were already under treatment. Meanwhile, [the] case is also under police investigation,” the statement added, quoting the spokesperson.

 

PFA DG Javaid stated that any food outlets found responsible for compromising public health would face strict action under food safety laws.

 

In April, approximately 1,500 people were affected by food poisoning in a similar incident in Dhoong village, Gujar Khan, though the cause remained unknown.