ACCORDING to press reports, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and their family members are still using 38 official vehicles and 1,000 policemen of the security division to protect their residence at Jati Umra and Model Town, which is now the PML-N secretariat.

Similarly, other PML-N leaders are using police escort vehicles. The Sharif brothers are rich industrialists and can afford private security guards when not in the government.

The world over ex-presidents, ex-prime ministers and ex-ministers are granted certain facilities and benefits to compensate them for any loss they suffer in their normal livelihood during the period they were working as lawmakers and as people’s representatives.

But Shahbaz Sharif hardly attended the provincial assembly when he was the Puinjab chief minister. He also kept the entire ministries portfolio with him.

I still remember the people distributing sweets when the government was removed by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999. As when they are in the government they do look after the interest of the business community which is their main supporter and who are also the main exploiters of ordinary people.

SYED TASADAQ Lahore