LAHORE – Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) Chairman and leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Syed Asif Hashmi threatened to resign in protest by March 7 over differences with the federal minister and the secretary for minorities. He said the party needed to take his demands seriously if they wanted him to stay.
It is reported that on Monday,his first working day, Asif Hashmi reached office per routine but after spending some time he informed his colleagues and staffers that he was going to resign because Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and the secretary were interfering. The staff members of the EPTB office in Lahore and the PPP workers gathered around him when he come out to leave, started chanting slogans in his favor and against the said minister and requested him to take back his decision but failed to stop him.
Later, through a press statement, Asif Hashmi confirmed that he had announced to resign from the Chairmanship of the Board on March 7 if the interference continues.
Highlighting the differences with the federal minister and the secretary, he said that they were interfering in the 5 Marla scheme for the poor people announced by the prime minister and the recruitment of the 700 security guards for the protection of the different worship places of the minorities.
He also said that under the direction of the Standing Committee, he wanted to appoint 700 security guards but the ministry, after initially allowing only 400, had refused to accommodate 150. Asif Hashmi said he could not perform his job because of Shahbaz Bhatti’s undue interference and Bhatti should be replaced to allow the ministry to be run smoothly.
