MULTAN-Chief of Awam Raaj Party Jamshed Dasti yesterday warned that he will not let Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif deliver speech to the parliament and stage protest against government’s injustice with South Punjab and its growers.
Addressing a news conference here after staging a sit-in at Nawan Shehr Chowk, he said that he would continue raising voice against the deprivation of South Punjab. He said that he respects judiciary and expects that the honorable courts would take notice of the injustice with South Punjab.
He alleged that Sharif brothers are national offenders as they have committed ‘state terrorism’ by imposing Rs2 billion cut on the South Punjab’s budge. He claimed that the naked enmity of Shahbaz Sharif with Saraiki region has got completely unveiled after the cut in South Punjab budget. He said that it is sheer injustice that Rs650 billion was being spent on just Lahore while rest of the province got only Rs150 billion.
He declared that he would raise voice for the sugarcane growers in National Assembly and wear black armband. He pointed out that the sugar mill mafia subjected poor growers to severe exploitation and made Rs110 per trolley illegal dedication.
He said that hundreds of thousands of acres of land had been eaten up by River Indus through erosion while sub-soil water got contaminated due to poor sewerage system. Resultantly, majority of the residents of South Punjab are suffering from cancer and liver diseases, he lamented.
He said that the roads in Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and other areas of South Punjab are broken as a result of which serious traffic mishaps took place on a daily basis, killings dozens. He maintained that the youth committed suicides due to unemployment but the rulers did not take any notice of the plight of Saraikis. He lamented that the rulers spent national exchequer on metro busses and orange trains instead of health and education. He said that the people were deprived of basic facilities like healthcare and education. He maintained that the hospitals were without medicines and basic health units in rural areas were without staff. He said that the Chief Minister himself admitted that the rural health centres were without delivery facilities and it was sufficient for the CM to resign from his office. “Instead of sharing public’s sorrows, he goes abroad for photo sessions,” Dasti criticised the CM.
He lashed out at the parliamentarians from South Punjab and said that they assured the throne of Lahore their loyalty instead of raising voice for their people. He said that keeping the local governments deprived of their powers was a conspiracy of Lahore throne so that the funds could be spent on their favorites areas through the MNAs and MPAs.
He claimed that over 50 fake cases were registered against him and his brother for raising voice for the poor people. “But I’ll continue to speak for them,” he resolved.
Earlier, the workers of Awam Raaj Party raised “Go Nawaz Go” slogans and blocked the Chowk. Heavy police contingents were deployed to maintain law and orders.