Anti-govt protests : PTI disputes report on losses incurred by sit-ins

Mahmoodur Rashid says 200,000 could not attend schools due to blocked roads.

LAHORE: Opposition Leader in the Provincial Assembly Mahmoodur Rashid on Sunday criticised a report by the attorney general claiming that the ongoing sit-ins in Islamabad had caused a Rs547 billion loss.

He also said the government had paid Rs500 billion to clear the so-called circular debt. Another Rs37 billion had been wasted on the Nandipur power project, he said.

Rashid said the country lost Rs1,000 billion a year due to corruption and tax evasion.

He said the attorney general had claimed in the report submitted to the Supreme Court that 200,000 children were unable to attend schools due to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s and Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s protest demonstrations.

“The children were kept away from schools because of hundreds of containers placed in the streets in several cities.”

He said the chief minister and the prime minister had shown no concern over the absence of these children from educational institutions.

“The federal government is worried about the losses suffered by traders in Islamabad but remains unmoved while traders in the Punjab had braved similar miseries due to containers placed in streets across the province,” Rashid said.

He said the report mentioned that the administration had spent additional Rs130 million to maintain order. He said the government had spent Rs224 million on acquiring bulletproof cars for the prime minister.

He accused the government of lying when it said the Chinese president had postponed his visit to Pakistan due to the sit-ins.

He said the Chinese government had said in a statement that the date for the visit had never been finalised.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2014.