The Muslim Students Federation (MSF), a pro-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) student wing, is likely to be the main beneficiary of the Yellow Cab Scheme announced by the Punjab government in the provincial budget 2011-12 to make the unemployed youth self-reliant, Pakistan Today has learnt. MSF activists have been told to get ready to get rewards of their sacrifices for the party through the Yellow Cab Scheme and grab a big chunk of the project but all other student unions across the province’s education institutions criticised the scheme and said that it is just a plan to accommodate blue-eyed activists of the MSF.
According to sources, PML-N top brass including Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, never disowned the MSF but in fact, MSF activists were seen protesting in favour of the party. Representatives of other students unions said that yellow cabs will only be given to activists of MSF to run the PML-N’s election campaign in the upcoming general elections while other unions will be ignored. Student leaders said that heavy funds for the Yellow Cab Scheme and Danish Schools show that the PML-N has started its election campaign on basis of these projects and Rs 3.5 billion, which were allocated for the Yellow Cab Scheme, are part of the plan to reorganise MSF at colleges and universities, as it was done in the past for running election campaigns.
According to the scheme, the government will provide cars at subsidised rates to young graduates to seek self-employment as taxi drivers. The scheme appears to be similar to the one launched by the PML-N during Nawaz’s first tenure as PM in the early 1990s. That scheme turned out to be a massive fraud, as many people bought subsidised cars for personal use instead of promoting employment. Pakistan Today has learnt that before launching the scheme, MSF activists started preparing their documents and profiles to grab vehicles while according to sources, senior and former MSF leaders, who campaigned for PML-N leaders, have been asked to get ready to grab the vehicles.
People started criticising the scheme after Senior Advisor to the CM, Zulfiqar Khosa, while addressing the post-budget press conference, said that no district coordination officer (DCO) or parliamentarian will be member of the committee to distribute yellow cabs among the youth but students will be members of the committees.
According to representatives of other student unions, only MSF activists will be members of these committees and they will be favoured in getting the vehicles. According to plan, around 20,000 800cc cars will be distributed among students across Punjab. In the past, the MSF actively campaigned for the PML-N in all elections but when former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf overthrew Nawaz in 1999, the student union shifted its loyalties to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and actively campaigned for it.
According to sources, the Sharifs, who returned to the country in 2007, were annoyed with the MSF for supporting their foes in their absence and did not take MSF activists back into the PML-N. But MSF activists lobbied through PML-N members to ask the CM to take them back. Many former MSF activists are top-profile leaders of the PML-N including Javed Hashmi, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Rana Arshad. Although, student unions are banned in educational institutions but the Insaaf Students Federation (ISF), Anujman-e-Talba Islam, Imamia Students Organisation (ISO), Islami Jamiat-e-Talba (IJT) and the People’s Students Federation (PSF) still exist in colleges and universities of Punjab. All these student wings are criticising launching of the Yellow Cab Scheme and reminding embezzlements in this scheme in the past.
ISF President Farrukh Habib said that the Yellow Cab Scheme is just a plan to accommodate blue-eyed MSF activists and the ISF has several reservations on it. He said that in the past, through this scheme, Shahbaz accommodated his favourites and this practice will continue again. Habib said that the scheme is not for welfare of students, youth and the general public and only a political motive to run an election campaign. He said that it is a tragedy that the Punjab government has no funds for educational institutions but announced a failed Yellow Cab Scheme with public money for the MSF and its election campaign.
ISO Information Secretary Hassan Kazi said that everyone knows that which students will be part of the committees, MSF activists, and demanded the government include student representatives from all existing unions at educational institutions. He said that there should be transparency in the Yellow Cab Scheme if the CM is sincere with the future of the youth.
Punjab University (PU) IJT Nazim Zubair Safdar also criticised policies of Shahbaz and asked for transparency in the Yellow Cab Scheme. He said that the CM’s educational policies are proving to be unproductive for students and they would have to launch a movement against the CM if he continues his unproductive policies concerning education.
MSF Lahore President Sunni Prince said that the MSF is a group, which played a role in the Pakistan Movement and no one could ignore its sacrifices in the country’s politics. He said that if the Punjab government wants to give vehicles to students than nobody should criticise it, as every one has a right to get these vehicles. Prince said that they only appreciate good decisions of the CM and oppose the bad decisions but the Yellow Cab Scheme is a good move and country’s youth should take advantage from it. He said that the PML-N owed them, as they protested several times for the PML-N and mentioned that the MSF participated in the long march and other events.
We are also living in Pakistan not only MSF and PMLN….We know how to get own right.
The contents of this fallacious news-item are totally baseless, fabricated and beyond facts, as the news-item is only based on Reporter’s sheer imagination rather on facts, as the three years performance of the Punjab Government is a clear proof of ensuring complete transparency and merit-based system in every project. In fact, merit and transparency are the prominent hallmarks of the Punjab Government whose governance interventions have also been praised and
recognized by global organizations like Transparency International.
It is good that the Punjab Government has planned to provide a total of 20,000 Yellow Cabs to deserving jobless youth through a very transparent and merit-based arrangement of allotment so that only the genuine and deserving
persons could benefit from it. The Punjab government has allocated an
amount of Rs. 4.5 billion in the next provincial kitty. However, Yellow Cabs will be
provided at the level of Divisions according to their population size; however, the economically deprived Districts of Southern Punjab will be given preference as the 40 percent of the total Yellow Cabs will be distributed in these Districts. It is good that only Pakistan made 800-CC Bolan and Mehran models will be included to promote the indigenous Automobile Industry.
The assertions of the news-item are incorrect and beyond facts as Yellow Cabs’ allotment procedure is yet to be evolved and therefore, it would be incorrect to assume any discrepancy in it at this stage when it’s only on papers. The computerized balloting would be held in the public. The news-items also failed to prove the claim of favoritism. The launching of Yellow Cabs scheme should
be seen in the wider perspective of three years performance of the
Punjab Government which has ensured consummate transparency in its
every project. Punjab Government has always made it a point that only
the genuine and the deserving people could benefit from its interventions as it doesn’t believe in any sort of favoritism. Moreover, Daanish School System, Ashyana Housing Project, Punjab Education Endowment Fund, sending of shining students abroad on educational & study visits, promotion of education in poor
communities through public private partnership under the umbrella of Punjab Education Foundation and many other pro-poor and public-friendly initiatives of the Punjab Government are a clear manifestation of the strong commitment of Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif towards public-welfare. Every project is completed through a transparent and fool-proof mechanism and no one can point a finger at the Punjab Government. It should be noted that no political quota or any favoritism to MSF was ever shown in any of the schemes mentioned above.
The Reporter, instead of following the universally held principles of journalistic
impartiality, neutrality and objectivity has tried to portray an ambiguous, partial and lopsided picture of a public-friendly project which will help the needy youth to alleviate their poverty. It is very sad to note that the Reporter has even tried to tarnish the hard earned credibility of the Punjab Government through this one sided news-item.
All LIES
it appears our so called elite english press have become ‘neo-Khabrain’ as they are giving news without any proof and these are more like bigoted views than news. may be they have some linkages to ‘Khabrain’
we love to punjab govt. scheme,
we are not here for criticize Punjab govt.
we appreciate them because due to this scheme many jobless people got job.
Hum log un ko kaam nhe krnay daitay jo kaam krna chahtay hain….
PML -N ko kaam krnay do wo theek kaam kr rahay hain…….
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PPP ny kya kia ha millions of rupees Benazir income support program k through loot rahay hain….udhr koi nhe bolta ……
Q -League walay jo pakistan ka 70 arb rupay kha kr baithay hain un k baray mein koi nhe bolta ……ab Q League aur PPP mil kr kha rahay hain…
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Punjab mein ab logon ko shafaaf tarikay se job aur karobar mil raha ha tu hm log un ko kaam nhe krnay daitay, PML-N is sincere with our country… Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif go ahead aur kaum ap k saat hai…….mein ap k saat hon… kashif malik
Jhoti khabar ha saaf zahir ha kyn k jin ko mai janta ho un mai koi aisa nai ha jo msf ya kisi aur jamat se belong kerta ho
I am also Beneficiary of this Yellow Cab scheme when I applied for this scheme many of my neighbours said you should approach local M.N.A or M.P.A (Muslim League) because these people have quota for their voters but I don't have approach of even a Labour Councilor and no money for bribery even then I got taxi on merit.
I went for Training in N.L.C Driving School Dina for two Week there were approximately 500 people supporting different political parties P.P.P, Musharaf League, P.M.L.Q P.M.L N etc but their was no complainant for Bribery or Nepotism
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