Daily Times

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz has issued a white paper on the performance of Punjab government for the year 2019, while giving details of major departments being run by the PTI-led government in the province.

As per the details, PML-N provincial General Secretary Sardar Awais Laghari and Information Secretary Azma Bukhari issued the white-paper exposing the performance of Punjab government headed by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

“The inflation, unemployment and poverty remained high throughout the year in 2019 while the Punjab government has miserably failed to control the prices of edible items,” said the white-paper issued by the PML-N. The provincial government couldn’t increase its revenues while the expenditures were increased by 200 percent, it said. Giving details of the performance of the government, the PML-N said that the price of sugar was increased from Rs 45 to 80 per kg and the price of one flour bag was also increased by 100 rupees in 2019. The MPAs of PML-N were of the view that the tall claims of austerity didn’t work as government spent millions of rupees in buying new vehicles for the ministers while a hefty amount of 40 million was spent on the helicopter of CM Punjab.

Giving details of the crime in Punjab, it said that 150 robberies were reported in the province after every minute and Lahore remained on top of the list in crime rate followed by Rawalpindi and Multan. “Around 200 vehicles, 600 motorbikes and 3000 mobile phones were snatched in Punjab on daily basis,” said the white paper while adding that the crime rate was increased by 17 percent in 2019 if compared by 2018. It further added that 3000 women were victims of acid attack and violence in 2019 and 190 women were murdered according to the record of police for the year. More than one thousand incidents of child rape were reported in Punjab while 152 cases of child rape were reported only in Lahore in just six months, it added.

Talking about the transfers and postings in the bureaucracy, it said that the Punjab government has broken all the previous records in 2019 as 266 officers were transferred in just 16 months. The PTI government has claimed in the past that every officer will be deputed on his post at least for one year minimum but the story is altogether different here. “The Secretary Higher Education was changed six times, Secretary Health for three times, Secretary School Education for four time, Secretary Prosecution two times, Secretary Industries for three time, Secretary Services for four time while secretary Excise, Food and Transport were also changed three time by the government,” it said. The government changed Deputy Commissioners of Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Sahiwal, Pakpattan and DG Khan for three times in this short span of time, said the white-paper. The MPAs of PML-N were of the view that the government has ruined the bureaucracy through these hasty transfers and postings and therefore officers are not working properly.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has destroyed the country. In a statement on Tuesday, the PML-N leader said the country’s business, investment and industry have been badly affected in the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and that we don’t seek any relief from the ‘selected’ government.

Every allegation against PML-N party leadership has proven wrong in the courts, she stated.

Marriyum Aurangzeb further said the incumbent government aims at demolishing country with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2019. The ordinance and department of anti-graft watchdog must be made dysfunctional for the safety of governance, she went on to say.

The PML-N spokesperson asserted PM Imran is taking revenge from the leaders of PML-N with fake cases. The premier has prepared NAB ordinance to protect his companions, she alleged.

She asked PM Imran and NAB chairman to apologize from all the innocent prisoners of PML-N and other opposition parties.