S Punjab province bill a historic step: Buzdar

More provincial ministers, MPAs throw weight behind CM

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said the South Punjab province bill was a historic step of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led (PTI) government as well as a solid step towards the fulfilment of another promise.

The CM expressed these views in separate meetings with a number of provincial ministers and MPAs including Muhammad Asif Nakai, Muhammad Akhtar Malik, Rai Taimoor Bhatti, Taimoor Lali, Waris Aziz, Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan, Saleem Akhtar and others who called on him on Friday and reposed full confidence in his leadership.

“The PTI government would carve out the South Punjab province and the credit of setting up the south Punjab secretariat and giving full autonomy to it goes to this government. Alongside, a 32% job quota has also been reserved for South Punjab along with ring fencing of the development budget, he mentioned.

The CM regretted that the funds of South Punjab were disbursed to other cities in the previous tenures and past rules deceived the people of south Punjab in the name of development.

The opponents' attempt to revive their politics in the garb of south Punjab would be frustrated because composite development was an important agenda of the incumbent government.

“This government has given a new identity to south Punjab through numerous public-centric initiatives. As a result of government efforts, a new era of development has started in south Punjab, he further said.

They also congratulated PM Imran Khan and CM Usman Buzdar over the bill for the creation of South Punjab province.

While assuring them to resolve their constituencies-related problems, the CM emphasised that the spate of propaganda of the anti-development elements could not cheat the masses. He pointed out that the government was engaged in public service as the opponents have resorted to the politics of baseless allegations.

The country needs stability instead of anarchy and, regrettably, the opposition parties are involved in negative politics, he added. Meanwhile, the PTI was fully united under PM Imran Khan who has taught the nation to live with self-respect.

The nation was standing firmly behind PM Imran Khan and the public meeting of March 27 would prove a public referendum against the opposition, he maintained.

The CM repeated that the opposition intends to destabilise the country through the politics of anarchy and maintained that its every effort would be frustrated.

“Defeat is the fate of the opposition because people firmly stand with PM Imran Khan; he added and argued that the March 27 meeting would change the course of political history by proving a turning point in the history of the country.”

Earlier, the chief minister sought a report from IG police about sexual harassment and video shooting of children in the area of Raiwind Road and directed to hold a thorough investigation to arrest the culprits involved in this nefarious practice.

“Prompt legal action should be initiated against the culprits. “They cannot escape from the grip of the law. They do not deserve any leniency,” the CM said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government's spokesman Hasaan Khawar has categorically refuted news item published in a section of the press about discretionary funds of the chief minister and termed it as fabricated and beyond facts.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2022.