Billions misused in Punjab govt projects: Pervaiz

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Q senior central leader Ch Pervaiz Elahi has said that form JIT on Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif government projects the nation will forget Panama Iqamah.

He said this while addressing a press conference along with party's central secretary general and MNA Tariq Bashir Cheema and provincial general secretary Ch Zaheeruddin here Sunday. He said the auditor general and the accountant general of Pakistan have pinpointed
corruption in every project of present Punjab government.

Throwing a challenge for live TV debate about the Punjab government performance during his five-year tenure and their 15-year rule in every sector and transparency in the projects he said that in every scheme and project like Orange Line, jangla bus, power projects, Sasti Roti, laptop, Danish Schools, Ashiana Housing Scheme commission of billions of rupees were eaten.

Pervaiz Elahi alleged that for misleading the people the chief minister is saying that JIT in its report has not been able to level corruption charges on any project of the government but he is not telling that JIT was not constituted to investigate corruption in any government project and it was entrusted responsibility only to investigate Panama corruption case.

Presenting instances of corruption in Punjab he said the Auditor General of Pakistan has reported corruption of Rs25 billion in Sasti Roti and illegal payments of Rs4.88 billion in Danish School Scheme while in the Laptop Scheme the AGP pointed out corruption of Rs2 billion there is no record about spending of Rs1 billion in jangla bus service.

Pervaiz Elahi said the PML-N government's claim about discovery of gold and silver reserves in country are before everyone he has not been able to get iron even after spending Rs160 million whereas we had closed this project on the experts' report after complete investigation incurring only Rs40 million.

To a question, he alleged that entire ruling family is involved in corruption. He said according to the Auditor General of Pakistan report, the government is hiding real cost of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Multan jangla bus service; contractors are being asked to keep the facts and figures secret. Monthly loss of three jangla bus services is also being hidden but monthly loss of Rs3 billion is estimated at all three places.

He said that at the cost of Rs260 billion Orange Line project has become dollar earning train (dollar kamao train); for this in our tenure Asian Development Bank approved loan at 0.25 percent mark-up; loan was returned and secured from Exim Bank at 3.25 percent mark-up.

Pervaiz Elahi said Shahbaz Sharif challenged Imran Khan that China has never been in power in Punjab if Shahbaz Sharif wanted to compare his performance then he should do this with our government tenure in Punjab.

Giving detailed account of public welfare and development projects of his tenure Pervaiz Elahi challenged that Shahbaz Sharif should compare heath sector works with PML-Q Rescue 1122 service and free medicines with his mobile hospitals and health card scheme of our tenure hospitals and schools with his tenure hospitals and schools of our Parha Likha Punjab with his Danish School project and our tenure literacy rate with his tenure literacy rate.

He said Shahbaz Sharif should compare our Kissan Package with his Kissan Package half bill payment of agricultural tube-well by the PML-Q government and GDP of our tenure with his tenure GDP.