LAHORE: PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi alleges that neither medicines are available in hospitals nor the emergency treatment because of the inefficiency of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the delay in resolving problems of doctors and the health department.

He was talking to the media after condoling party workers Shafiq Malik and Kabir Malik on the sad demise of their mother here on Sunday.

She breathed her last in the emergency of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) what was alleged due to slackness and negligence of the hospital staff.

Mr Elahi said the present rulers had no interest in providing protection to the life and property of the people and that they only believed in sloganeering.

The former chief minister claimed that during his government he had taken practical steps for the welfare of common man in all sectors, paid special attention to hospital emergencies as even costly medicines were also provided free-of-cost there.

Asked why 11 parties were with the government in the parliament and why the government was not persuading them to construct the Kalabagh dam, he said Nawaz Sharif had compromised interests of Punjab to become the prime minister for the third time.

He said the prime minister was not working on the Kalabagh dam project and cut in Punjab’s share in electricity and gas were among the issues the PML-N sold out for their vested interests.

He claimed that he had not compromised over the distribution of resources on the basis of population despite strong pressure during the Musharraf regime.

Mr Elahi said he had urged other provinces to support the Kalabagh dam project so that water could become available adequately for electricity and irrigation.

The PML-Q leader strongly condemned arrests of leaders and workers of parties participating in the Islamabad sit-in and termed police raids on their houses a gross violation of sanctity of “chadar aur chardevari”.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2014