Daily Times

The All Parties Conference of Punjab convened by the Pakistan People’s Party has alleged that the government is hiding the actual number of deaths due to the COVID-19, and that the situation is horrible in Punjab.

It was stated in the declaration issued after the APC held at Bilawal House Lahore on Sunday. Hosted by the PPP, the APC was attended by PML-N’s delegation headed by Rana Sanaullah that also includes MPAs Samiullah Khan and Azma Bukhari. PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha, whose party is a government ally both in centre and Punjab, also attended the APC. Moreover, delegations of Jamaat-e-Islami, JUI, JUP, ANP, AWP, and Barabri Party also attended the APC.

As per the declaration of the APC, the situation of COVID-19 is very alarming in whole country especially in Punjab. The government’s attitude to deal with the deadly virus is very irresponsible and non-serious and therefore we are getting devastating results, it said. It further added that Punjab has 60 % population of the whole country but only less than 30 % tests were conducted here in the province from the total conducted tests in Pakistan. “The number of beds for patients in hospitals and quarantine centers are decreasing rapidly. The patients with diseases other than COVID-19 are also facing very difficult situation in hospitals and therefore government must take a notice of it,” said the declaration issued by the APC. It further added that there are more than 0.6 million positive cases in Lahore according to a leaked report of the health department. “The doctors are crying and patients are suffering but the government is in slumber,” it said. The APC further demanded to release 300 billion outstanding dues of Punjab as the rulers of province have failed in demanding its rights.

The centre is attacking on the constitutional powers and financial resources of provinces and the Punjab will be worst hit by it, it said and added that the political parties of Punjab will resist this move. It further added that the Punjab produces the larger chunk of agricultural products of the country but unfortunately the farmers of Punjab are in miserable condition. Instead of increasing the wheat support price, the government is raiding on the houses of farmers to confiscate their wheat illegally. The APC estimated that over 25 % crops will be destroyed costing 1000 billion due to the locust attack and the threat of food shortage is also looming here. The same negligence as showed in the COVID-19 was also depicted here in dealing with the locust attack, it added. The Punjab APC also urged the national leadership of political parties to convene an APC on the same issue to give a joint strategy.

Briefing the media after the APC, PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said that it was decided to convene an APC at the national level on the same issues. The government couldn’t constitute the board of Pakistan Steel Mill during last 20 months and it was decided that we’ll not let the government to sell the PSM, Qaira said. PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said that 2020 would have been an election year had COVID-19 didn’t come here. He was of the view that the government is using the NAB for political engineering. “The PPP and PML-N being the opposition parties will work to get rid of the incompetent rulers,” he said.