Centre still targeting Punjab: Shahbaz

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday strongly criticised the federal government, accusing it of targeting Punjab by continuing unbearable forced load shedding of electricity.
Addressing a meeting of the Sialkot business community held at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) after distributing laptops among students, Shahbaz said the federal government was still targeting Punjab despite clear cut directions of the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani passed in the energy conference held in Lahore.
SCCI President Naeem Anwar Qureshi, MNA Khawaja Muhammad Asif and representatives of Sialkot’s all main trade bodies were present.
The CM said considering the global importance of Sialkot, there was a dire need to establish a development authority for Sialkot, announcing the immediate establishment of the Sialkot Development Authority (SDA) for socio-economic and human development of the city.
Shahbaz also announced to provide as many as 50 air-conditioned public transport buses for launching advanced public transport service in Sialkot, besides announcing the establishment of journalists’ colonies in all districts of Punjab.
He also promised to remove hurdles in the way of an early start of construction of Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College in Sialkot.
The CM also assured the Sialkot business community of allocating Rs 500 million in the upcoming fiscal budget of Punjab for the uplift of Sialkot.
Shahbaz said Punjab had suffered from a great financial and economical loss of Rs 300 billion last year due to forced load shedding across the province.
He again urged the Center to ensure equitable load shedding of electricity across the country.
The CM asked the federal government to speed up the pace of a transparent probe into the Bhoja Airline plane crash and bring the inquiry report before the nation. He said the judicial commission which was constituted to probe into the air crash was “less judicial and more commission”. He said “Ali Baba and his 40 thieves” had ruined national economy, besides weakening the country in every aspect and making it isolated in the world. “They are plunderers, they are killers of the aspirations of the people,” he said.
Earlier, almost all PML-N MNAs, MPAs and local leaders and workers (uninvited guests) were barred from entering the SCCI auditorium.
SCCI officials said the venue was already packed with specially invited people, that is why a large number of PML-N leaders and workers, who had come uninvited, were asked to leave the venue.