RAWALPINDI, July 30: The Directorate of Public Relations (DPR), Punjab, which is supposed to highlight government's campaigns, is being used as party office, covering activities of unelected PML-N leaders.

The directorate, funded by the Punjab government, has been used in recent times during by-polls in NA-55 and for projecting statements and private meetings of PML-N leaders who hold no public office.

On Saturday, the directorate's entire staff and official cars were in Murree for covering the meeting of PML-N Mushawerati (consultative) meeting, which was presided over by the party's president, Nawaz Sharif, who holds no public office.

Usually the party secretariat is supposed to issue press releases about any political gathering. But the directorate is issuing press releases, e-mails and pictures of the gathering in Murree – termed “immoral, unethical and misuse of state machinery” by a government officer, who did not want to be named.

The press statement issued by the directorate quoted the former prime minister as saying that the country's future was associated only with the rule of law and corruption-free governance.

The handout names many unelected PML-N leaders, including Anwer Kamal from Lakki Marwat and Javed Latif. “The PML-N has been criticising President Asif Ali Zardari for using the presidency for political purposes while in practice both the parties are misusing state machinery.

We are servants and we must obey them all,” a top official in Rawalpindi administration told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

But Sardar Nasim, a former PML-N MPA who heads the Development Committee of Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), candidly said his party chief was holding the meeting for the “welfare of people” and there was nothing wrong if a government office was taking care of highlighting the meeting. “He is after all twice elected prime minister and he is more concerned about the state than anybody else,” Mr Nasim said.— Inamullah Khattak