AHMEDPUR EAST
PML-Q Central Vice President and MNA Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema revealed that his party will restart its mass contact campaign in the first week of March by holding a public meeting in Attock followed by public meetings in Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and other district headquarters of Punjab.
Mr Cheema predicted the formation of a national government in the near future which would hold next general elections after the passage of couple of years. He pointed out that without the formation of an electoral alliance, it would be difficult to defeat the PML-N because they were experts in rigging and horse trading.
PML-Q MNA Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema expressed these views while talking to The Nation at his residence in Satellite Town.
PML-Q District Vice President Syed Sardar Shah Gillani and Advocate Mian Rasheed Javed were also present on the occasion.
Commenting on the upcoming Senate elections, the PML-Q stalwart declared that his party’s lawmakers would vote for the PPP candidates.
To a question about PPP leader Dr Zulfikar Mirza’s fresh allegations against former Punjab chief minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi, Mr Cheema described as baseless and fabricated. He said that the PPP ruled the country for five year after the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto so former President Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were well aware of the facts regarding Karsaz tragedy and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s killing.
He lashed out at the PML-N for “what he called” bad governance, saying that now establishment was running the internal and external affairs of the country, limiting the incumbent rulers to railway, power and other similar departments.
He blamed that MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif had launched four consultant companies through his front men on the pattern of NESPAK to mint money from mega projects worth billions of rupees. The PML-Q leader said that to conquer Bahawalpur district, the rulers had inducted two federal ministers, one provincial minister and parliamentary secretaries from Bahawalpur district and now Saud Majeed, PML-N nominee defeated at his hands in May,2013 general elections, was being tipped as the next Punjab Governor. Mr Cheema claimed that as former district nazim Bahawalpur, he executed development schemes worth Rs9 billion in district resultantly the masses reposed confidence in him. He claimed that Rs14 million were donated by his supporters and PML-Q leaders in district for the PML-Q first public meeting held in Bahawalpur on 22nd November.
Mr Cheema stated that neither he nor the PML-Q central leadership gave a single penny for this grand public meeting. Criticising the PML-N government, he alleged that the rulers neglected South Punjab as had been tradition in the past. He claimed that under the pressure of sit-ins and protests by opposition, both Premier Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had started hearing to the grievances of their lawmakers. He said that rulers did not pay respect to their lawmakers as they knew that they returned as victorious as a result of rigging in elections. He also charged that the PML-N government did not launch any mega project in Bahawalpur, while so-called Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Project would yield no positive results.
When asked to the establishment of DHQ Civil Hospital on Jhangiwali Road in Bahawalpur, he revealed that a provincial minister hailing from Bahawalpur merely to settle a score with his comrade Khalid Gujjar, got approval of the hospital.
The PML-Q stalwart disclosed that the PML-N government cancelled the allotments of this precious land on the basis of allegedly non-payment of three consignments by Khaid Gujjar and took this land into possession where DHQ had been constructed. He claimed that Kidney Centre established in BV hospital during his tenure as district nazim could not be made functional so far due to indifferent attitude of incumbent rulers.
To question regarding differences between the PML-Q and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), he said that he was part of that delegation which had signed a 10 points agreement with PAT Chief Dr Allama Tahirul Qadri in London of which first five points had been implemented by Pervaiz Elahi during his rule in Punjab province. The PML-Q MNA said that his party had stand shoulder to shoulder with PAT during Model Town Lahore Tragedy and August killings incidents in Islamabad but Dr Qadri himself winded up sit-in in Islamabad without any consultation.