MULTAN: Former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the government should ask the United States to sign a deal with Pakistan like it inked with India.

Addressing a meeting of Pakistan Peoples Party representatives from entire south Punjab here on Saturday, he said Pakistan fought war against terrorism on the front line “but the USA is signing a civil nuclear deal with India”.

“Over 40,000 civilians and 7,000 soldiers have so far sacrificed their lives in war against terror which also destabilised the country,” he said.

He claimed the PPP implemented the Charter of Democracy (CoD) in its true spirit and ensured election through ballot.

He declared that his party would cooperate with the government for the implementation of the remaining 15 per cent of CoD.

He said the PPP government did not hold talks with Taliban on which Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif subjected the PPP government to criticism “while today both of them opposed a dialogue with the Taliban which validated party’s stance”.

He urged the government to create both Seraiki and Bahawalpur provinces as the PML-N government in Punjab had passed the resolution to that effect.

“The PML-N government has majority in National Assembly and if they are sincere in creating Bahawalpur and South Punjab provinces we will support them,” he said.

Gilani said it was unfortunate that the provincial government claimed in the budget to allocate Rs50 billion for South Punjab but hardly spent Rs5 billion on the region. “The condition of schools and hospitals is poor, people do not have clean drinking water and sewerage system is faulty, but the government is spending Rs40 billion on one project of Metro bus.”

He demanded that the government make Multan International Airport operational and complete Multan-Faisalabad Motorway project as the PPP government had already released funds for it.

He said he had released Rs560 million for Multan Cancer Hospital and equipment had also been brought with a spending of Rs300 million but the project was still incomplete.

PPP South Punjab President Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood asked workers to accept membership drive as a challenge.

He claimed that the party would achieve a strong position in Punjab in two years.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2015

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