LAHORE: The Insaf Youth Wing (IYW), Punjab, on Sunday demonstrated against the Interior Ministry, Nadra, the Punjab government and police for ‘maltreating’ Pakhtuns in Punjab.

Participants in the demonstration, led by PTI’s Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry, general-secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid, IYW President Zubair Khan Niazi, were holding placards bearing inscriptions against the government as the police were harassing and arresting Pakhtuns across Punjab.

Speaking to protesters, PTI and IYW leaders condemned the Punjab government for harassing the Pakhtuns in the name of verification of their credentials.

Ejaz Chaudhry demanded that the interior ministry and Nadra should set up a separate desk for the Pakhtuns so that they could get themselves registered properly. He said the Pakhtuns had rendered sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

He regretted that the police were releasing Pakhtuns only after “charging” money from them, adding it was the duty of the government to protect properties and lives of Pakhtuns.

He demanded the Punjab government should resolve Pakhtun’s problems otherwise the PTI would join them for protest on roads across the province.

METRO BUS: Ejaz Chaudhry has said the Metro Bus Project has been under construction since last year in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, but its completion is still not in sight due to sheer incompetence and ill planning of Hanif Abbasi.

Due to a massive mess along the Metro Bus route, he said, the lives of citizens had been paralysed and all markets alongside the route had been destroyed.

“Who will take the responsibility for losses that businessmen are bearing due to Hanif Abbasi,” he asked.

Dr Yasmin Rashid said Pakistan had the expertise to roll out and head such multi-billion projects, but the Sharif brothers had always appointed their near and dear ones to easily get their due share of commission and kickbacks.

“The deliberate delay is meant to milk more money from a poor nation,” she observed.

Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas said one could not hope for any positive work from persons like Hanif Abbasi who were engaged in scandals like the ephedrine quota case or the Metro Bus project.

She questioned why the PML-N was spending billions on metros while the poor children were perishing due to diseases and poverty.

She said the government had allocated Rs44 billion for Rawalpindi and Islamabad Metro Bus project, while millions would be required to restore the infrastructures and greenbelts, which had fallen to the greed of the Sharif brothers.

She demanded that an independent audit of the project should be done on its environmental impact.

Published in Dawn March 2nd , 2015

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