KASUR: Masses are taking interest in the membership campaigns the Roshan Pakistan League and the PPP, believing that membership of these parties guarantee them land, ration cards, funds, dowry and cash.

The Roshan Pakistan League was established by former Punjab chief secretary Javed Mahmood in 2010. The party has started a membership campaign, asking the people to fill a registration form with a Rs10 fee, and that registered members would get benefits, such as plots and cash.

A large number of people have submitted forms to the party office on Naz Cinema Road.

Abdul Satar travelled from his village Sheikhupura, 20 kilometres from Kasur, to get himself registered as a League member. He said he learned about the party from his neighbours as scores of his village fellows had got the membership. He said they had heard the party would distribute five-marla plot each among the party members before elections and Rs20,000 on Ramazan 25.

Kaneez Bibi, of Valawala village that is near the Indian boarder, was happy to get double registration -- one for herself and one for her husband, Majeed. She said the party was going to dish out ration cards and financial aid among the registered members.

A large number of people, most of them women, from Ram Thaman villages, Khudian, Rasoolnagar, Ganda Singh, Badian and Dolaywala were present at the office to become eligible for the financial package. They said if the promises were not fulfilled, they would not vote the party.

The registration form is in Urdu while the disclaimer is in English.

Mr Mahmood told Dawn the party has established 16 such offices in the district where 30,000 members had enrolled.

He said that the party had a manifesto and the money collected through the registration campaign would be utilised for the welfare of poor people; they will be given 3 marla houses, cash and education.

He also said his party has selected candidates for elections from the low-income people. He said that public representatives should be the commoner.

Mr Mahmood will contest election for NA-138 where he will be facing Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Aseff Ahmed Ali, PPP’s Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, PML-N’s Waseem Akhtar and independent candidate Maqsood Sabir Ansari.

Robia Mahmood, daughter of Mr Mahmood, would contest for NA-139. Their electoral symbol is tortoise.

The PPP is also luring the people into its flagship project Benazir Income Support Programme.

A large number of people, most of them women, were seen at PPP offices on Qatal Gari Road and Kot Rukin Din.

The party is registering the people through a membership form. There is no registration fee while registration form bears the pictures of PPP leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Nusrat Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and candidate Mr Ahmed.

PPP District President Dr Tariq Raza told Dawn those getting the registration forms were under delusion that the membership would make them eligible for the BISP aid. He said the party was, however, guiding the people that it was just a membership campaign and the party had registered over 100,000 voters.

PPP district information secretary Dr Muhammad Akram said when a reasonable number of applicants gathered at any office, the party arranged lectures for them that if the party came into power, registered members would get benefit of various funds.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2018