PM’s Lahore visit marred with protests, several arrested

LAHORE: Hundreds of affectees of a housing society scam and daily wagers of Punjab Vocational Training Council on Sunday protested outside Prime Minister Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park.

Dozens of affectees were protesting against a famous housing society as they were not being given plots by the administration despite paying large sums of money for their plots. They were carrying banners and placards in their hands in favour of their demands.

“We are tired of approaching authorities at different forums. Nobody is ready to resolve our issue,” they said.

During the protest, the daily wage employees of Punjab Vocational Training Council said that they were hired in the institute as daily wagers but despite the passage of many years, they were not made permanent. “The previous government had made all other daily wagers of different departments permanent but we were ignored,” they said and added that they had no other option except taking to streets.

To disperse the protestors, officials of city district administration negotiated with them but they were not ready to vacate the spot. While dispersing the protestors, a huge quarrel was witnessed between the protestors and police personnel, resulting in arrests of dozens of protestors, who were and shifted to a police station.

Later the protestors called off their protest after the assurance from deputy commissioner to consider their demands.

The protest caused a massive traffic jam on Canal Bank Road resulting in the annoyance of many citizens.

Earlier on September 1, teachers of the Punjab University (PU) had staged a protest in Zaman Park for not being made permanent yet while the residents of NA-125 staged a protest for noncooperative services of NADRA.

The PM had then taken a notice of the protest against the policies of NADRA and directed NADRA chairman to meet the people and address their grievances.