Protest staged against federal, Punjab budgets

MULTAN: Saraiki nationalists Thursday staged a protest against the federal and Punjab budgets. The demonstration was organised at Chowk Nag Shah where the protesters burnt budget copies and raised slogans against the rulers for allegedly showing discriminatory attitude in budget making process.

Pakistan Saraiki Party president Malik Allah Nawaz Wains, Saraikistan Qaumi Council chairman Zahoor Dhareja, Malik Javed Chandar, Sharif Khan Lashari and others were leading the protesters.

Addressing the protesters, Wains said ignoring Seraiki Waseeb in budgets was tantamount to economic terrorism. He said the most painful aspect of the budgets process was that the lawmakers of Saraiki region were silent against ‘oppression’.

He said legislators of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab raised voice for the rights of the people of their areas. He said Saraiki Waseeb was the only area that was represented by lawmakers but who do not raise voice for the people of the region. He criticized the role of Yusuf Raza Gilani, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi and other politicians, who, according to him, were just followers of their parties.

He said only courage and honourable leadership from Wasib would highlight the problems of the region. Zahoor Dhareja said the budget was a fraud against the oppressed nation. He said the problems of Wasib would not be solved till the establishment of a separate province.

He said now all classes of Wasib were united for the establishment of the province as it is a reality and nobody can defy it. "We are fighting for Waseeb's economic rights and the Saraiki parties are playing the role of real opposition while the ruling parties have never taken to the streets for Waseeb's rights," he said. He said water shortage in Waseeb had intensified. Malik Javed Chanar said the people of Saraiki Waseb do not ask for charity but their rights.