02 March 2004	Tuesday	10 Muharram 1425

LAHORE, March 1: The Pakistan Workers Confederation has criticized the government for ignoring the poor and utilizing the national resources only for pampering the rich.

Speaking at a meeting held here on Monday with its president, Chaudhry Talib Nawaz, in the chair, secretary-general Khurshid Ahmad said the government had not bothered to provide any relief to its employees or industrial workers even after increase in water charges, flour and petrol price, but had raised the pay and allowances of legislators by 250 per cent on its own.

PWC chairman Mohammad Yaqoob and provincial president Gulzar Chaudhry said the Punjab government had earmarked Rs250 million for the purchase of luxury cars for its ministers and was building underpasses on the roads being used by them at a cost of Rs2 billion, but was not attending to proper maintenance of roads in the localities inhabited by the poor.

Pakistan PWD Workers Union senior vice-president Abdul Hamid Butt said the government should reconsider its priorities and pay attention to a solution to the problems of the poor who were finding it difficult to make both ends meet in their meagre income due to unchecked price hike.