LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday said across-the-board accountability of the corrupt will continue under Prime Minister Imran Khan, regretting that the opposition continues pursuing the sole agenda of saving their loot.

In a statement, the chief minister said that those who were involved in a totis viribus tirade against the institutions were the enemies of the nation and the alleged anti-state narrative was a proof of the mental state of the so-called leaders.

He emphasised that every act and statement against national interest was condemnable, as spreading anarchy and chaos was not politics. Rather, politics meant public service, and the people could not be fooled because they knew who was honest and who was lying, he stressed.

Mr Buzdar maintained that the “unnatural” coalition of 11 parties was worthless before an honest leader like Imran Khan. The conspiracy hatched by the opposition parties against the institutions had badly failed. The opposition first tried to politicise coronavirus and then launched a venomous harangue against state institutions, he regretted.

108 new Covid-19 cases reported in Punjab, 12 patients die

The CM regretted that elements that wreaked havoc on the country were bent upon obstructing the development process through anarchy.

CRUSHING SEASON: The government has fixed Rs200 as the minimum support price of sugarcane to protect farmers’ rights; they got Rs100 to Rs120 per maund for their crop in the previous tenure.

This was stated by Chief Minister Buzdar in another statement issued on Tuesday. He added that the crushing season will commence from Nov 10 in south Punjab and Nov 15 in the rest of the districts.

He further said it was satisfying that the government had ensured 99 per cent payments to farmers in Punjab by recovering pending dues from influential sugar mill owners.

CORONA: In the last 24 hours, 8,623 tests have been conducted and 108 new cases reported, while 12 patients died during this period. This was stated by the chief minister in a statement.

He said the total number of active Covid-19 cases in Punjab was 2,198, adding that the number of new cases and coronavirus-related deaths had increased during the first 20 days of October due to the ignoring of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

People should fully observe the SOPs and maintain social distancing to remain safe from a second wave of this virus, the CM added.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2020