Mothers themselves killing their siblings due to dearness:Ch Pervez Elahi

Lahore: Pakistan Muslim League (PML) senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Parvez Elahi has said that N-League has even snatched away the facilities given during our tenure and representation in the local bodies, domestic woman was today most hit by ever-increasing prices of essential and other articles and lawlessness.

He said that we had established women universities, training centres and welfare institutions but enemies of education stopped our projects. We had done in every sphere of life what we said and international organizations had also appreciated our great and successful projects.

He said this while addressing a grand, quite enthusiastic women convention held under the auspices of the PML Women Wing Punjab in connection with the International Women’s Day at the Muslim League House here today. Women from every district of the province had jam-packed the hall and open space outside and kept chanting slogans in support of Ch Shujat Hussain, Ch Parvez Elahi and Moonis Elahi.

Through the resolutions unanimously adopted by the convention, it was demanded that the prices and facilities of Ch Parvez Elahi tenure should be restored as mothers themselves were killing their siblings due to dearness of essential articles.

Continuing Ch Parvez Elahi said that national progress was not possible without active participation of women, we had taken effective and concrete steps for women’s representation in every field and for giving them maximum facilities and amenities. Women were given 33 per cent representation in the assemblies and local bodies, established Women Development Ministry, there were five women ministers in his cabinet while today only one woman in the provincial cabinet whereas N-League making tall claims had cut down women’s seats in the local bodies from 33 per cent to 22 per cent, he added.

He said that the present rulers even do not honour their promises. We had recruited Lady Health Workers and also given them their rights, present govt had accepted their demands on their sit-in but there was no mention of Lady Health Workers in the bill presented in the assembly, in their next sit-in PML women will also take part, he announced.

Ch Parvez Elahi further said that we had started a programme worth Rs 608 million for protection and training of women, established 26 shelters homes, one thousand institutions of informal education, crisis centre and given interest free loans, 11. 50 lakhs girl students of South Punjab were given monthly stipend of Rs 200, Jail Reforms Programme was launched under which women for the first time could stay with their minor children and they were provided vocational training there so that when they come out they could stand on their own feet, set up Women University in Rawalpindi, two colleges of Lahore were given status of the university, whereas project to set up university in Multan was scrapped by N-League govt.

Ch Parvez Elahi pointedly stated that our govt for the first time had recruited 35 thousand women teachers on double salary, employed nurses in grade 17, today Lady Health Workers, nurses, teachers, lady doctors were on the roads in support of their demands, mothers and daughters of the nation were protesting but N-League govt was not bothered about them. He said that sky rocketing prices of essential articles hit the women first, it becomes difficult to run the house system, every article was cheaper during our tenure, today prices of everything were soaring high to the sky, N-League was ruling Punjab for six years, they should tell what they have done for women in all these years, only making speeches on international women’s day do not matter.

Ch Parvez Elahi lauded the services of former Women Wing President Late Shahana Farooqi and paid tributes to the women leaders for organizing a successful convention.

Various women leaders also addressed the convention and through unanimously passed resolutions, it was demanded besides other facilities of tenure of Ch Parvez Elahi, free education, provision of interest free loans, Child Protection Bureaus and 33 per cent representation for women in local bodies should be restored.

Convention was attended by Ch Zaheeruddin Khan, Muhammad Basharat Raja, Basima Riaz, Bushra Rahman, Mrs Farrukh Khan, Khadeeja Farooqui, Razia Anjum, Syeda Majida Zaidi, Kanwal Nasim, Seemal Kamran, Zubeida Ehsan, Abida Rana, Razia Sultana, Tabussum Naz, Rukhsana Begum, Tabussum Zaidi, Nighat Rana, Rubina Naz, Fehmida Yaqoob, Sobia Fazeelat, Shakeela Haideri, Safia Begum, Sakina Bashir among host of other Muslim League leaders.