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OKARA, April 7: The leadership of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) was stopped on Monday by the Rangers authorities from reaching the city to take part in a tenants’ convention.
ARD deputy secretary general Munir Gilani, PPP leaders Abdul Qadir Shaheen and Sajida Mir, Abdul Qadeer Khamoosh, Labour Party’s Tariq Farooq, two representatives of an NGO, Aysha Inayat and Kiran Habib, were stopped at Tabrook on the GT Road and taken to the Rangers headquarters.
The Rangers and other law enforcement agencies did not allow tenants from outside Okara to reach the venuewhere the convention was being held.
However, around 2,000 men and women participated in the convention and reiterated their resolve to get ownership of the land or death.
ARD leaders arrived at Okara Press Club after the convention was over and addressed a joint press conference. They said they would launch a protest drive from the ARD platform.
RAJA BASHARAT: Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat has said the government is determined to amend various laws keeping in mind welfare of the common man.
He was speaking at a lawyers’ gathering at the Okara District Bar office here on Monday.
Raja Basharat said the Punjab government had already taken steps for the benefit of the people which included free education up to matriculation, exemption from agricultural tax up to 12.5 acres land holding, lowering of mark-up rates on agricultural loans and simplification of procedure in obtaining loans.
He said the government was setting a procedure for permanent annual grants to the district and tehsil Bars according to their size.
He categorically announced that the government had no plan to curtail the powers of district governments.
The minister donated Rs100,000 for the district Bar library.
