LAHORE, April 26: The PPP will observe a protest week against the deteriorating law and order situation and rising prices of essential items.

This was stated by Punjab PPP secretary-general Rana Aftab, information secretary Farzana Raja, MPAs Samiullah Khan, Faiza Malik and Azma Gilani and former information secretary Naveed Chaudhry at a joint press conference here on Wednesday.

They said protest demonstrations would be held to highlight the rulers’ apathy towards the plight of masses.

Holding the Police Order 2000 responsible for the poor law and order, Rana Aftab argued that it had made the police all powerful and answerable to an elected representative only.

He claimed a 37 per cent increase in the crime graph after the promulgation of the ordinance.

The situation worsened when the “selected people were given reigns of the government instead of the elected ones,” he said.

Faiza Malik, who had been robbed of her belongings at the security check-point of a five star hotel on The Mall a couple of days ago, lamented that six hotel guards were standing nearby when robbers looted her at gunpoint but they never intervened.

She alleged that secret agencies were now harassing her by late night calls, asking about her bio-data.

She said earlier only the masses were feeling insecure and now parliamentarians and even ministers were becoming targets of robbers.

“It seems that the writ of the government has totally eroded”, she added.