December 27, 2007	Thursday	Zilhaj 16, 1428

FAISALABAD, Dec 26: The Punjab government is the ‘host’ of former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi’s public meetings at Tandlianwala and Sahianwala on Thursday (today) as most of the city district government officers are busy in arrangements to make the event a success, sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

Chief Minister’s Secretariat Deputy Secretary Iftikhar Saho visited the district on Wednesday and monitored the arrangements.

Mr Elahi will address public gatherings at Tandlianwala and latter to the dwellers of Chak Jhumra.

Government officers held a meeting at Circuit House under the chair of Mr Saho wherein the participants apprised Mr Saho about the arrangements for Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) meetings. Mr Saho asked them to remain in touch with the organisers to avoid any difficulty.

The PPML-Q has fielded former member of the National Assembly (MNA) Ghulam Rasool Sahi for NA-75, Chak Jhumra, and Punjab Assembly speaker Afzal Sahi and his son Zafar Zulqernain Sahi, are candidates for two allied provincial constitutions — PP-51 and PP-52. The party selected former MNA Rajab Ali Baloch for NA-78, Tandlianwala, and Khalid Watto for PP-57 and Shahid Khalil for PP-58, two associated constituencies of NA-78.

Sources say Punjab government senior officials directed the city district government to help PML-Q candidates for the occasion. After the instructions, officers arranged transport, chairs, tents, sounds, food and other facilities for the event but payments would be made from the party funds.

Up to 10,000 chairs each will be arranged for the gatherings, sources said adding, the candidates would have to adorn the event with the crowed.

An officer requesting anonymity said that they had been told by the authorities to make arrangements for the event.

He said they were also told to arrange the crowed, but “we are not extending any sort of help in this regard”. However, thousands of teachers, patwaris and other government employees had been ordered to attend the public gathering of Mr Elahi at Bohran Wali ground this year when he was still in power.

Another former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the district on Dec 24 but he was not accorded any protocol.

Former MNA Shahadat Ali Baloch, of Tandlianwala, criticised the Punjab government for helping the PML-Q arrange the functions of Mr Elahi.

Rahila Perveen Baloch, daughter of Shahadat Baloch, is vying on Pakistan People’s Party against Rajab Ali Baloch for NA-78.

He said such activities put a question mark on the government’s claims regarding free, fair and transparent elections. He said despite such irregularities, they would turn the tables on his rivals in the general elections.