Pakistan Muslim League (PML) senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Tuesday said that only tall claims were being made about fetching foreign investment in the country, and claimed that implementation of not a single project has commenced so far. The PML-Q leader also challenged Shahbaz Sharif to have real and peoples' survey of nine years of his govt and his five years' tenure in Punjab regarding peoples' welfare works and development projects, prices of essential articles and law and order situation.
While addressing a press conference after Provincial Organising Committee meeting held at the Muslim League House here on Tuesday, Elahi said Khwaja Asif was first Defence Minister in the history of Pakistan who had indulged in bashing of his own country's army and it was a national tragedy. Through wrong propaganda of their superiority, the rulers were increasing sense of deprivation among the smaller provinces; not a single scheme of ours has failed and not a single of theirs had been successful, he added.
During the meeting, Elahi reviewed headway in the re-organisation of the party and every wing district-wise and appreciated the same and congratulated the presidents and office-bearers of the Organising Committee and the Wings. Responding to a question from the media, Elahi said the real survey would reveal as how much increase in the prices of Atta, sugar, pulses, vegetable, dacoities, crime, suicides abduction for ransom, incidence of snatching of cars and motor cycles and in the number of children not going to schools had been effected during the tenure of present rulers after our govt; how many people were not receiving Zakat and free medicines in hospitals and how many hospitals, burn units, schools and colleges had not been made functional.
He said attempt to undermine the Chief Ministers of other provinces through choosy surveys was indeed deplorable because CMs of Khyber Pukhtunkhwah and Balochistan had come into power only 10 months back and comparison of 10 months with performance of six years, Punjab CM holds, was not at all justified in any manner.
He said the real survey would also reveal as to where yellow cab, Ashiana, tractors and other schemes had gone, Roti was not available anywhere for two rupees but Rs 22 billion were spent on Sasti Roti Authority, adding they had not been able to close our various schemes including 1122, but they continued to create hurdles. Elahi pointedly stated that "we had abolished tax on small houses and twelve and half acres of land but they had re-imposed the tax; we provided employment opportunities to 14 lakhs unemployed people whereas they were snatching while incidence of molestation of women, girls and children were increasing but the criminals were not being arrested.
In reply to a question about Defence Minister's criticism of the Pak Army, he said that saying of the Defence Minister that they had lost the wars and swallowed money was a national tragedy, but he should also read Article 63 (g) of the Constitution wherein it had been stated that the parliamentarians criticising the judiciary and the army were disqualified.
Regarding a question about fraud in the name of world records in the Punjab Youth Festival and loss of one billion rupee to the provincial exchequer, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said the Guinness Book of Records had accepted only one record, and case should be registered about that fraud. In reply to a question about local bodies' election, he said that sitting rulers even wanted to use the powers of the Councillors instead of devolution of powers at the local level therefore they would not hold the local polls.