GUJRAT, July 8: Deputy Prime Minister Pervaiz Elahi has expressed concern over deterioration in all fields especially law and order situation in Punjab.

Speaking to a gathering of notables and former nazims and naib nazims of PP-110 (in continuation of Saturday’s meeting) on Sunday, he reiterated that during all tenures of Shahbaz Sharif not a single project was launched for people’s welfare. He said the fate of people could not be changed by mere tall talk.

“People’s love and affection for our family has reached the third generation and this is our greatest asset. Even when we are out of power, workers’ love for us increases and we in turn serve them.”

He announced that a new furniture centre had been got approved for Gujrat, which would be set up at a cost of Rs330 million. He said the centre would be equipped with latest modern machinery and European standard courses would be held in it which would increase quality of furniture in Pakistan and boost the country’s exports.

He deplored that Punjab was now suffering the worst administrative and economic crisis as the present government believed in ‘destruction’. It had shelved the best IT projects initiated by the previous dispensation, he added.

“The rulers who have launched tandoor schemes have thrown our welfare projects in tandoors,” he remarked.

Federal Minister for Human Resource Wajahat Hussain, former provincial minister Mian Imran Masood, MPAs Chaudhry Arshad, Khalid Jawed Ghural, Chaudhry Abdullah Yousaf and former tehsil nazim Saadat Nawaz Ajnala were prominent among those present.

During the two-day stay of the deputy prime minister at his hometown, there was no loadshedding in the city. The scheduled outages returned soon after his departure.