DERA GHAZI KHAN: The PML-N will launch a movement for the establishment of south Punjab and Bahawalpur provinces in assemblies and on the street in the early days of the upcoming year.

PML-N MPA Awais Leghari told a press conference on Saturday that his party would strive for the province consisting of Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions as his party was in the favour of two provinces -- Bahwalpur and south Punjab.

He said the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was not serious in making the province and for that reason, it did not discuss the issue in the assembly.

He said Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi acted like a dictator when he rejected his three moves regarding the provinces. He demanded the speaker include his moves on the establishment of south Punjab province, and the closure of of the South Punjab Forest Company and the Fort Munro Development Authority on the agenda.

He said the PML-N would present constitutional amendments to both national and provincial assemblies on Bahwalpur and south Punjab provinces.

He supported across-the-board accountability from 1970, saying they rejected the on-going selected accountability.

He advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to see audit reports of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s tehsil nazim eras and he would think twice before praising the chief minister.

He demanded the establishment of joint investigation teams to probe into the matters of Aleema Khan and Aleem Khan.

He said mills were deducting 10pc of the weight of sugarcane crops being supplied to them by farmers whereas the government had yet to take any action. He demanded a probe into the installation of sugar mills in south Punjab’s cotton belt, without mentioning the court orders under which sugar mills of the Sharif family, set up in south Punjab, were declared illegal.

CONTRACT: The Ghazi University has signed the contract of its master plan and supervision of the construction of campus with the National Engineering Services Pakistan.

At present, the university is housed in the Postgraduate College of Dera Ghazi Khan.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2018