BAHAWALPUR, Nov 7: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has announced that he will contest the next general elections for a National Assembly seat from Yazman tehsil of this district also.

He was addressing a public meeting in Yazman, some 30 kilometres away from here, on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion earlier, District Nazim Tariq Bashir Cheema invited the chief minister to contest the elections from his constituency, NA-187, which he accepted.

The chief minister said he had been invited by many Pakistan Muslim League (PML) leaders to contest the upcoming polls from their constituencies but he had so far accepted the invitation of Mr Cheema alone.

He said Yazman had been a stronghold of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) but subsequently two of the PPP members of Punjab Assembly (MPAs) resigned from their party and sought fresh mandate from their electorate on PML tickets and were elected, which showed that the area had become a PML hub.

The chief minister announced that twelve and a half acre land would be given to each landless family in Cholistan while Mailsi Siphon would also be widened to provide 1,300 cusec excess water to the area. He said to work on developing a network of potable water wells was underway.

With the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Thal Barrage, over 150,000 acres of land would be brought under cultivation in the area, he said urging the people to support the PML-backed candidates in the coming polls.

He criticised the PPP leadership and said Benazir Bhutto and her husband had plundered the national wealth during their both regimes. He said they wanted to swindle the nation by coming into power again, but the masses would reject them because of their past malpractices. He said PML-Nawaz was a thing of the past now.

Earlier, inaugurating the Rescue-1122 Emergency Service in Bahawalpur, the chief minister announced that Sahibzada Farooq Anwar Abbasi, a former MNA, and Ijaz Safdar would be PML candidates to contest the general elections at NA-185 and PP-272, respectively, from the city area.

He said two Rescue-1122 centres had been established in the city costing Rs200 million. He said Bahawalpur was the second city getting the emergency service after Lahore. He said the service would be launched in Multan on Nov 10.

He said ambulances of the service were equipped with modern facilities, which were at par with those available in the United States or United Kingdom. He announced that modern fire service would also be established in the city soon.

On a demand presented by Mr Abbasi, the chief minister announced that sui gas would be provided to remaining localities in Bahawalpur.

On another demand preferred by Tehsil Nazim Malik Zahid Mahmood, he announced that proprietary rights would be given to the dwellers of Islami Colony slums.

He said the PML government had spent over Rs5 billion for the uplift of the city during its five-year stint, which showed its determination to enhance the living standard of the masses and bring it at par with other developed areas of the country.

Punjab Emergency Service Director General Dr. Rizwan Naseer and the district nazim also spoke on the occasion.

Later, the local MNAs and MPAs called on the chief minister at Circuit House. He also announced a Rs500,000 grant for the construction Markazi Anjuman-i-Tajaran office building in the city.