November 27, 2006	Monday	Ziqa'ad 5, 1427

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LAHORE, Nov 26: The government has not been able to move against those responsible for the stock market crash as they enjoy backing of powerful people within the system.

This was said by Omer Sarfraz Cheema of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) while addressing a press conference here on Sunday.

The PTI information secretary said the stock exchange crash and sugar crisis were the two biggest scandals in the history of the country which affected almost everyone. But those responsible went free because of their political value in the system of governance.

He urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of both the scandals and punish the culprits.

The people had been severely hit by price hike, lawlessness, unemployment and poverty, but the government was spending millions of rupees on advertising fake development projects, he said.

Mr Cheema alleged that the government was also using public money for political bribe instead of spending it on rehabilitation of the people and solving their problems.

“It is consoling people with meaningless news like expanding cellular telephone markets and foreign exchange reserves. No one in the world takes the former as a development indicator and the latter has not been able to serve masses in any way.”

He said real development could take place only if the country had democratic system. Independent media disseminated such scandals quickly pre-empting any investment in a country like Pakistan. The government would have to understand this fact if it wanted to attract foreign investment, he said and added that it would have to clean itself before expecting any investment.

The PTI leader said the city wore a clean look during the last three days to welcome the Chinese president which showed that resources were available, but priorities were not right.

The opposition, he said, must get together to liberate the country of corrupt rulers.