MULTAN: National Assembly member Jamshed Dasti has accused State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali of involvement in electricity theft.

Talking to the media on the sidelines of a regional peace convention organised by a non-government organisation, he said raids were being conducted on the poor power consumers to check theft but “factories of Abid Sher Ali and Mian brothers, where massive electricity theft was being committed, were being spared”.

He said there was no threat to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s life and a “false alarm was being raised to reap political benefits”.

He said the government could maintain law and order in a few hours if it showed ‘seriousness’ in dialogue with the Taliban.

He demanded Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif should resign over an attack on an anchor on Friday night.

Earlier, addressing the convention, Dasti said the privatisation of 37 national institutions would render about 81,000 people jobless. He said Cholistan people were also facing Thar-like situation.

The MNA warned that establishment of coal power plants in south Punjab would threaten health of local population living within 200 kilometers radius of such units.

Saying he had no intention to launch his own political party, Dasti said he would soon table a bill for the creation of Seraiki province in the National Assembly.

He rejected the idea of a separate civil secretariat for south Punjab, saying the area people wanted their own province for resolution of their issues.

Addressing the conference, PML-N Senator Rafique Rajwana said a civil secretariat in Multan would benefit the people of south Punjab who won’t need to go to Lahore for resolution of their problems.

He said 64 members of the official committee on creation of new province were from south Punjab.

Educationist Shaukat Mughal deplored the government was doing nothing for the promotion of tourism in the (southern) region. He said Seraiki belt people were peaceful and they only want equal distribution of provincial resources.

Writer Zahoor Dhareja lamented the funds announced by the government for the south were not being spent on the area.

Seraikistan Democratic Party head Rana Faraz Noon said the movement for new province started some 40 years ago and it was strengthened by decentralisation of power and resources. Aftab Mastoi of Nelab Children and Women Development Council also spoke.