‘Striptease’ at PPP-hosted cultural fair draws CM’s ire

Dancers reportedly stripped in broad daylight in front of hundreds of visitors to a ‘cultural fair’ hosted by a PPP lawmaker adjacent to a school in Muzaffargarh, prompting the Punjab chief minister to take notice of the vulgarity after a video surfaced on Tuesday.

PPP MPA Mehr Irshad Syal maintained that the video was ‘fabricated’ and was made public by his political opponents. He said he would sue those people who were trying to destroy his reputation.

Private media outfits reported that the fair which was supposed to provide healthy entertainment to the locals – ranging from senior citizens to children – for as many as three days was organised by Syal from November 16. They said the event was held after the turban-tying (dastarbandi) ceremony of senior PPP leader and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who also attended the event on the first day.

A case has been registered under Section 249 against PPP lawmaker Syal.

According to DPO Muzaffargarh Owais Ahmed, the show was organised without permission. He said that action would be taken against those responsible.

Nevertheless, the obscene show has drawn CM Shehbaz Sharif’s ire as he has called a report from local police and the administration, making it clear that immoral activities would not be allowed under the pretext of cultural shows.