LAHORE: Pak Sarzameen Party chief Mustafa Kamal says there is a dire need to impose education and health emergency in the country.

In the meet-the-press programme here on Sunday, he said more than 25 million children were out of school and millions were facing food shortage and diseases that demand immediate steps to address these two sectors.

Mr Kamal, who is in Lahore on a three-day visit, said the PSP wanted to remove prejudices within political culture. “We do not want enmity with any political party rather we are working to end this hostile culture in politics,” he said.

He expressed his gratitude for the people of Punjab for welcoming the PSP leadership and supporting it. “We will go to the doorstep of the people to convey the programme of our party,” he said.

About the relation of Baldia factory suspect Rehman Bhola with the PSP, Mr Kamal said Bhola was sector in-chrage of the MQM at that time, however, nobody could be stopped from filling membership form.

He appreciated the development work in Lahore but said it was not the duty of the chief minister and ministers to do the job of the mayor.

At a reception hosted by Khalid Kharal and Munir Ahmad Khan, Mr Kamal said there had been a difference in doing politics in Karachi and elsewhere.

Asked about the difference between his party and the MQM faction led by MNA Dr Farooq Sattar, he said the latter were “reluctant fighters.” He said the MQM-Pakistan members were not ready to give up their perks and privileges as parliamentarians while those wishing to join the PSP had to renounce all these benefits.

Earlier, Mr Kamal, Raza Haroon and other leaders of the PSP offered fateha at the shrine of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2016