JI takes out ‘Jaag Meray Lahore’ rally

LAHORE:Thousands of slogan-chanting and flag-waving Jamaat-e-Islami workers led by their ameer Mian Zikrullah Mujahid took out a rally under a campaign titled “Jaag Meray Lahore” (wake up my Lahore) Thursday evening from Kahna via across the City up to Shahdara.

The campaign was aimed at pressing the demand to provide civic facilities like roads, water, street lights and cleanliness to the citizens. Mounting several trucks and speaking on loud speakers, the JI leaders warned the rulers that it’s time they should provide basic needs of life to the citizens otherwise the people would come to streets for agitation.

Zikrullah Mujahid alleged that the rulers had promoted class-based society, as the capitalists have all the basic amenities in their areas of Lahore, including security, clean drinking water and roads. But the poor and middle class areas have no facilities, thus creating two Lahores. He said roads in Lahore were in a state of despair, piles of rubbish, absence of drinking water, tap water is mixed with sewage water, and on top of it, loadshedding of power and gas, while street crimes have pushed the citizens to their limits of patience. He said it was time people should join ‘Wake up my Lahore’ campaign to struggle for their rights. The rulers and institutions of the city will have to provide all the facilities to the people of Lahore for which they charge huge monthly bills. Jamaat-e-Islami will continue its struggle to realise the basic rights to the people. He said Lahore used to be a city of gardens and flowers but now it is the dirtiest city in the world in terms of air pollution. He also flayed the government’s "mini budget", terming it a drone attack on the poor. He said the hurricane of inflation brought in by government had forced the people to starve and commit mass suicide. The "incompetent" government team is trying to fool the whole nation with false promises and childish consolations to get the "mini budget" passed. After it, the prices of 1,700 items, including food items will increase sharply.