GUJAR KHAN, Nov 2: Local Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders lambasted the Punjab chief minister for denying district status to Gujar Khan and alleged that the government had failed to protect the rights of the residents of the area.

Speaking at a news conference here on Friday, Syed Noor Hussain Shah, MPA Raja Tariq Kiani and MPA Brig (retired) Muhammad Hassan, said the chief minister’s refusal to grant district status to Gujar Khan was a reflection of the government’s lack of interest in the development of the area.

They alleged that the shortage of teaching staff at government degree colleges for men and women and shortage of classrooms in colleges were problems that had been ignored at both the provincial and federal levels.

Mr Shah, a veteran PPP leader, said Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had been making claims of introducing education sector reforms under the “Parah Likha Punjab” slogan, but, he alleged, in reality the shortage of teaching staff and absence of proper facilities in educational institutions was a negation of the tall claims being made by the government.

He said the trauma centre inaugurated by the chief minister during his recent visit, lacked machinery and the requisite staff. According to him, the building that was inaugurated with great fanfare did not even have an electricity connection, he added.

Mr Kiani said PPP MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, on the floor of the assembly, had made efforts for the provision of gas to villages around oil and gas fields in the Gujar Khan tehsil.

He, being a member of the standing committee on natural resources, also struggled for the release of oil and gas royalty to the oil and gas-rich areas of Gujar Khan.

Brig Hassan also criticised the PML leadership saying that PPP legislatures elected from Gujar Khan had made efforts for the establishment of Potohar University but the project was denied to the residents due to alleged lack of interest by the PML leadership.

Mr Hassan said PPP MPAs from Gujar Khan were provided annual development grant of Rs5 million each, which was spent on village electrification and roads.

The annual development grant of PP-3 and PP-4 had been hijacked by Raja Basharat, provincial minister, who according to Mr Hassan, spent money on projects in the Dhamial area instead.

Mr Hassan further alleged that even the number of Zakat and Usher committees was also slashed in the tehsil and local PML-Q leaders remained silent before the influential minister from Dhamial.