Calamity: Govt responsible for floods: Qadri

LAHORE:

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri said on Tuesday that the country’s rulers had left the farmers in Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaffarghar to the mercy of nature. He said that the government had done nothing to deal with floods that hit the country every year. “Some influential families divert flood water to protect their lands,” he said.

He said that every time floods hit the country, government leaders visited the affected areas for photo-ops.

Qadri said the chief minister had announced that a protective dyke would be constructed in Rajanpur but no progress had been made in this regard. People in the area had protested several times but did not get relief, the PAT chief said. He accused government officials of embezzling public funds reserved for such projects.

Qadri said that the country could not progress until steps were taken against corruption.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2015.