LAHORE, July 13: World Punjabi Congress Chairman Fakhar Zaman has regretted delay in the provision of financial assistance to the bereaved family of WPC Secretary-General Kanwal Mushtaq.

Speaking at a reference for Kanwal Mushtaq at the Lahore Press Club on Friday evening, he said that government had been approached for providing assistance to the bereaved family after the demise of the writer but nothing had been done so far. He said that the behaviour of the government had proved that its patronage of writers was limited to only lip service.

He said on paper the government had allocated millions of rupees for the welfare of the writers but in reality they were left to starve.

He said Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi claimed to champion the cause of Punjabi language and culture but had not helped the WPC in the establishment of the Punjabi University because of his (Fakhar Zaman’s) association with the Pakistan People’s Party.

Earlier Salim Kashar, Aziz Mazhar, Dr Kanwal Feroz, Aizaz Ahmed Azar, Neelam Durrani, Afzal Shahid and singer Shaukat Ali paid tributes to the late Kanwal Mushtaq.