LAHORE - Staging an average show of force on Friday in a protest demonstration against price-hike, PTI Punjab chapter has given a five-week deadline to the rulers for restoring May 11 prices of essential items including petrol, gas and electricity or the PTI would launch a massive protest drive to send home the government.
PTI, which has claimed to send home the incumbent rulers after the completion of five-week deadline surprisingly, could not muster the support of 1,000 party activists to participate in the protest demonstration held on an extremely serious issue.
Though, PTI Chairman, Imran Khan has not announced to participate in an important protest demonstration, however the party activists were of the view that party chief’s participation could turn the event into a major show of force, which has direct and immediate impact on the rulers.
PTI Punjab chapter held protest demonstration against the price-hike in front of Lahore Press Club with only hundreds of party workers and leaders.
Prominent among the party leaders on this occasion include Ijaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Shafqat Mehmood, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Aleem Khan, Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, Andleeb Abbas and Zaheer Abbas Khokhar.
The protestors were holding placards, banners and posters inscribed with slogans to bring down the prices of essential items including petrol, gas and electricity.  They chanted slogans against the government for failing to control the price-hike due to the dictation of the IMF.
On this occasion some makeshift stalls were established to sell party caps, badges and headbands at gathering premises.
Party leaders addressing the participants on this occasion claimed that PTI was the only party, which has come out on the streets whether it was the issue of price-hike or drone attacks.
They said that prices of essential items had become unaffordable for the mediocre and poor class and it had become impossible for them to eat a one-time meal.
They said that the decreasing the price of petrol by 48 paisa only shows the non serious and indifferent attitude of the rulers against their electorate.
They warned that PTI would launch a massive protest drive with the support of the masses after completion of its deadline and would remain on streets till the dislodging of the current rulers.
PTI leaders alleged that provincial chief executive has abandoned Punjab and handed over it to his son as he was busy in dealing the affairs of the Federal government instead of his province.
They maintained that the government has broken all records of inflation and it has no intention of fulfilling their promises with the masses they made during the election campaign of  polls.
They said that the sitting government was worse than the PPP-led coalition.
They maintained that was planning further increase of prices of essential items instead of reversing its anti-people policies.
PTI leaders demanded that session of Punjab Assembly should be immediately requisitioned to debate over the anti-people policies of the government.
They claimed that people of the country would stage another Minar-i-Pakistan-like show on a single call of Imran Khan if the rulers would not stop following the IMF dictates, which has made the life of the working classes miserable and turning the country into a state of the elite only.