LAHORE: Punjab Information Technology Board chairman Dr Umar Saif says a web portal has been launched to help Knd parents or guardians of the missing children.

The facility has been introduced by the PITB in collaboration with the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau (CPWB) and the Punjab police, a press release quoted him as having told a meeting at Arfa Software Technology Park on Thursday.

He said on the instructions of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, awebsite and helpline had been formed to facilitate the citizens, police, agencies and relevant organisations to find missing children and their families. `Necessary documents, pictures and other details of children who had gone missing and have now been found or recovered by Edhi, the CPWB, the Punjab police and other departments concerned are being uploaded on http: missing.punjab.gov.pk/children,` he said.

Dr Saif said access to the portal had been provided to all the relevant departments so the website could be updated in time, while parents and guardians would easily be able to search their children through the website. He further said the helpline-1121 had beenactivated round the clock whereon any citizen could report or get information about a child either missed or found.

`Data of 166 recovered children have been uploaded on the website so far that contain picture of the child, name of the child and his father, recovery number given by the department, organisation or NGO, date when he/she was found, the city or place from where he was recovered and his/her present location. The website has content in Urdu to make it easy for all citizens,` he added.

Dr Saif encouraged the citizens to help the government unite missing children to their parents by using this website and helpline.