ISLAMABAD, Aug 1: Former parliamentary secretary and member National Assembly Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan on Wednesday alleged that the Punjab government had started victimising her and her family members after her decision to join the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP).

Speaking at a news conference along with Punjab PPP information secretary Farzana Raja here, Ms Awan said as soon as the TV channels telecast the news of her decision to quit the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), the police booked her three family members and two servants under Anti-Terrorism Act.

Ms Awan alleged that her house in Sialkot was raided by personnel of Punjab Elite Police in 15 vehicles. She said the police kept her mother, sister and immediate female family members under detention.

She said that slogans of enlightened moderation and women empowerment of the regime turned out to be shallow when the police officials kept her 60-year-old mother on gunpoint asking her to tell her sons and daughter not to join the PPP. She said that the chief minister had turned the Punjab police into “Chaudhrys’ Force”.

Ms Awan said that she had been asked by PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto not to resign from the National Assembly seat.

She said that she would face the reference of disqualification against her and would continue to attend the assembly sessions till the time the Election Commission of Pakistan unseated her.

She said Ms Bhutto had directed her not to resign because similar references against those who had quit the PPP in the past were still pending before the ECP.