RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least Rs400 billion of the total budget of Punjab has been spent only in Lahore while only Rs20 million funds are given to NA-95 constituency in the last two-and-a-half years where MNA Makhdoom Mustafa Mahmood was elected on a PPP ticket.

This was stated by former governor and PPP’s southern Punjab President Makhdoom Syed Ahmad Mahmood in a press conference here on Wednesday.

Mr Mahmood said that “Tukht of Lahore” had always deprived his area of development, but Rahim Yar Khan was the only district which was contesting the local body elections with brave spirit and the PPP was winning these elections.

He said the people of this last district of Punjab observing that Rs165bn were being spent on the metro train project in Lahore while their area was deprived of even the clean drinking water.

He said the district had 139 union councils and the PPP had issued 112 tickets to its candidates where nazims and naib nazims of the PPP were elected unopposed in five UCs.

The former governor alleged the ruling party MNAs and MPAs were violating the code of conduct and the Election Commission should take notice of this practice.

He said polling stations were being changed and the ruling party legislators were influencing the local elections.

He said the Jinnah Hall, which was burnt in 2007 after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, would be restored to its original shape.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015