June 1, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 4, 1427

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LAHORE, May 31: The Punjab PPP Executive Committee has called upon the National Accountability Bureau to investigate allegations of water theft from Taunsa and Guddu and the causes of prevailing cement crisis which is worse than the sugar shortages caused by vested interests.

Provincial Information Secretary Farzana Raja told a news conference after an executive committee meeting here on Wednesday that after water theft allegations echoing in the Senate it was the NAB’s duty to probe the matter seriously. She demanded that the influential people who were depriving others of their due water share must be identified and proceeded against.

Qasim Zia presided over the meeting, which was attended among others by Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, Altaf Qureshi, Abdul Qadir Shaheen, Malik Hafeezur Rehman, Raja Riaz, Begum Beelum Hasnain, Raja Zulqernain and Iqbal Sialvi.

Ms Raja said the participants had rejected the proposed 15 per cent increase in the government employees’ salaries saying it was far less than the inflation rate. The meeting demanded 100 per cent raise for all government employees.

The meeting condemned the removal of some 1,300 MCB employees.

The participants finalised a schedule for Ms Benazir Bhutto’s birthday celebrations and the study circles to familiarise the younger generation with the role of the PPP in ‘democratising the society’.

Altaf Qureshi, the study circle chief, will deliver lectures in various cities.

SVP Ghulam Abbas lashed out at the government for its failure to provide clean drinking water to people of various cities as a result of which thousands of people were suffering from gastroenteritis.

Similarly, he alleged the government had no control over the private educational institutions, many of whom were maintaining no standards and charging exorbitant fees from students.

Ms Raja said the PPP was launching a campaign against price-hike from Dera Ghazi Khan on July 5.

She said coming out on the streets was not the right solution to all problems.

The PPP leader condemned the treatment meted out to imprisoned leaders Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi. She said the Charter of Democracy had unnerved the rulers who had started taking such steps against opposition leaders which were violative of the court orders. She said the former NA speaker was keeping laptop with him as a court had accorded him such permission.