LAHORE: The self-proclaimed “Royals of Lahore” would face the people’s wrath in the upcoming local government (LG) elections for making anti-masses decisions, Federal Law Minister Senator Dr Babar Awan said on Sunday.
He made these remarks while addressing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers at Muslim Town. Party leaders and workers were present in large numbers on the occasion and chanted slogans in the party’s favour. Awan said that he had failed to understand why the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had adopted a victimisation policy against teachers and students adding that now the Punjab government wanted to deprive 20,000 petrol pump owners of their livelihood for no reasons. He said that this step would make 30,000 families unemployed.
The federal law minister said that those who were claiming good governance in Punjab should look into the mirror and realise that the people of the province were fed up of them and their hollow slogans.
The PPP leader said the PML-N always looked for its vested interests owing to which it had lost popularity.
Awan asked that why the PML-N chief had stopped talking about lawyers, teachers, students and petrol pump owners and this silence on his part was really meaningful. Nawaz Sharif just made hollow slogans but now he must realise that people of his own home constituency were against him for his anti-poor policies, the minister said.
He said that after a few months, LG polls would be held and the picture would be clear that who was popular in Punjab and who had lost its popularity.
Gone were the days when the masses could be fooled by just showing day dreams, he added. Awan directly challenged Nawaz saying that in the LG polls he would know the reality that people of the province had rejected the PML-N and its policies of victimisation. The minister said that the PPP would not tolerate any victimisation with the people of Punjab and would raise its voice at all forums. He said that it seemed that the PML-N-led Punjab government had opened a ‘loot sale’ in the province and only favouritism was being promoted.
Those talking about poor people and living in palaces must know that the people had seen their true faces, Awan said adding that the chapter of drawing room politics had ended now. The PPP leader said that the man living in a palace with a three kanal kitchen should not talk about poverty and hunger. Such a person should not talk about a revolution, as it did not suit him, he said.
The minister said that someone’s dreams to own Punjab would never materialise. Awan said that on one hand, cheques given to Data Darbar blast victims had bounced and on the other hand, the Punjab government was showing dreams of a housing scheme for low-income families. He said that such schemes seemed like an ‘afsana’, as the Punjab government, which was facing economic problems owing to its bad governance and wrong policies could not provide houses to homeless people.
Commenting on Nawaz’s statement on the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST), the PPP leader said that Nawaz did not pay any tax in the past and he should not talk about the RGST, as he lived in a palace and enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle without paying any tax.
Awan said that time has come when the PPP would have to support victims of policies of victimisation of the PML-N-led Punjab government. Earlier, the minister met delegations of students, teachers and filling station owners. Awan assured the aggrieved parties that the PPP would stand by them and said that the PPP was the party of poor people, which believed in dignity of work and always aimed at improving the common man’s life.
The minister vowed that the PPP would ensure rights of people in the country and would not allow anybody to victimise people for vested interests. The federal law minister was given a warm welcome on his arrival and workers showered rose petals on him and also chanted slogans in his favour.
