The Punjab government’s efforts in countering dengue were not sufficient and immediate steps need to be taken to save the rest of the province from the epidemic. Former Punjab chief minister (CM) and senior federal minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi expressed his concerns over the insufficient steps taken by the provincial government to control dengue, on Sunday. He said if Shahbaz Sharif had not destroyed the local government (LG) system in Punjab, dengue patients would not be dying on hospital steps, because the LG system would have ensured there were a hundred elected public representatives to combat the epidemic, instead of one lone DCO.
In a jam-packed Lahore State Guest House Hall and amid thunderous applause, Elahi said he, as the CM, had always relied on local government for understanding public issues and finding their solutions. He said as the CM, he had held councillors in high esteem, whereas today, even ministers and assembly members had to wait extensively to get an audience with Sharif. Elahi said the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) had always remained fully in touch with public problems, adding that his party’s focus had always been on their quick and effective resolution.
He added that PML-Q received more votes than the N-League in the 2008 elections from Punjab because of his government’s pro-people policies and the constructive role played by the local government. He blamed the N-League for destabilising and destroying public systems. He said doctors, teachers and people from all walks of life had been forced to come out in protest time and again against Shahbaz Sharif, adding that Sharif had done nothing in Punjab except hijack ownership of initiatives taken by the PML-Q government.