Lahore (Special Correspondent) Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party is the only political party whose manifesto includes bread, clothing and shelter, and that the concern the Peoples Party has for the people is not shared by any other party. He said the government and all sections of society must work together to resolve the problems of the poor and flood-affected people. The state is like a mother, he said, but unfortunately our resources are limited, despite which philanthropists, welfare organisations and political parties can jointly provide a secure future to those affected by natural disasters. He was addressing a ceremony held at Ali Fatima Housing Society on Tuesday for the distribution of keys to newly built houses among deserving flood victims of PP-96 Chiniot. On this occasion, keys to twenty-six houses built on eight kanals of land by General Secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party Central Punjab, Syed Hassan Murtaza, were distributed among deserving families. The Red Crescent provided assistance of forty million rupees for the construction of these houses.

 

The Governor Punjab said he extends special congratulations to the local residents and to Syed Hassan Murtaza on the completion of this welfare project, and also thanked the Punjab Red Crescent and its chairman. He said it was because of their courage, good intentions and determination that twenty-six houses had been completed. He further said that across various regions of the country, including Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Red Crescent is providing relief to people affected by natural disasters, and that as President of the Red Crescent he takes pride in the performance of the Punjab Red Crescent.

 

Sardar Saleem Haider said the Peoples Party has always spoken up for the rights of the poor and deprived classes, and that today there is a need to ensure the provision of basic necessities of life to the people. He said that just as a bird cries out when its nest falls, similarly when a person's home is destroyed, it becomes the state's responsibility to rebuild it. He said it was a matter of concern that people's household finances were under strain, and that in this situation governments must take effective measures to provide relief to the public, adding that instead of removing the poor from employment, the expenses of those drawing heavy salaries should be reduced. He said that whenever the Peoples Party comes into power, it strives to create employment opportunities and provide facilities to the people.

 

Speaking on political matters, the Governor Punjab said that instead of looking at khans, chaudhrys and waderas, the public should look at the politics and manifesto of the Pakistan Peoples Party. He said that the symbol of the poor was once the sword and today it is the arrow, and urged people to remember the arrow inside the polling station in the upcoming elections, while remaining free to associate with whomever they wished outside it. He said the objective of the Peoples Party is to make Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the Prime Minister of the country so that the political legacy of the Bhuttos can be carried forward. He clarified that the Peoples Party is not a cousin of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), but is working with it in order to run the system and take forward matters of the state. The Governor Punjab said that had cooperation not been extended two years ago to keep the current system running, the country would have defaulted, adding however that the present government has yet to deliver according to public expectations.

 

Regarding changes in petroleum product prices, he said that in the past, when the country was not as developed, petrol prices used to change every six months; during the Musharraf era this interval became one month, and later, with economic development, prices began changing every fifteen days, whereas now prices are being revised daily. He said the formation of new provinces cannot happen without the will of the people, and that the country cannot afford any decision made through coercion. He said the situations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir are there for everyone to see, and that in national matters, public opinion and consensus must be given priority. The Governor Punjab said that funds for roads rest with the Chief Minister, but that steps would also be taken to resolve issues related to electricity and roads.

 

On this occasion, he distributed house keys among the deserving flood victims of PP-96. Speaking at the event, General Secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party Central Punjab, Syed Hassan Murtaza, said he was deeply grateful to the entire Red Crescent team, who fully cooperated in the construction of houses for flood victims, and that the Governor Punjab too had approved the construction of these houses without any hesitation. He said Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would, following the model adopted in Sindh, provide a further hundred houses and a hospital in his constituency. He said that the people who voted for him are today his identity, and that he stands with every voter who supported him.

 

Syed Hassan Murtaza said that his opponents represent feudal politics, but that Almighty Allah has bestowed honour upon the people. Referring to his political opponents, he expressed regret that they fail to show grace even in matters of the completion and inauguration of welfare projects. He said that the honour Allah has given him has come to him through his own home. Referring to the name of Ali Fatima Housing Society, he said it was also a happy coincidence that the society was named after his son and daughter. He said the promise of bread, clothing and shelter belongs to Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and that it is his own responsibility to translate it into practice.

 

Red Crescent representative Mehboob Qadir Shah said the project was not merely about the construction of twenty-six houses but formed the foundation of a better future for the affected families, and that Ali Fatima Housing Society represents a new ray of hope for flood victims. He said that state institutions, welfare organisations and philanthropists can together provide a secure future to those affected by natural disasters. He thanked Syed Hassan Murtaza for donating his own land for the housing society. Mehboob Qadir Shah said that various individuals also contributed to the housing project built with the assistance of the Red Crescent, and thanked former Red Crescent Chairman Arif Surya, who declined to accept any payment for the solar system and mosque.

 

The Red Crescent was represented at the ceremony by Mian Hanif, Chaudhry Akhtar Ali, Brigadier (Retd) Arshad, Mehboob Qadir Shah, Aslam Tareen and Arif Surya, while a large number of notables and local residents attended, including Syed Inayat Ali Shah, Qazi Ali Hassan, Qazi Mohsin, Ahmar Lali, Syed Kaleem Amir, Ali Raza Zaidi, Sardar Ghulam Abbas, Chaudhry Adnan Randhawa, Abid Mithmal, Inamullah Kaliar, Makhdoom Rizwan Haider, Shehzad Baloch, Nawaz Khichi, Zulqarnain Sidhu, Asghar Bhatti, Manzar Abbas Khokhar, Fayyaz Chhatta, Ahsan Rizvi, Rao Babar Jameel, Zeeshan Shami and Malik Imran Khokha