LAHORE - PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that Khwaja Asif has become the first defence minister who indulged in bashing his own country’s army, and it should be seen as a national tragedy.
Addressing a news conference here at his residence Tuesday, Elahi said that the defence minister’s statement was a national tragedy. He added the defence minister should also read Article 63 (g) of the constitution which stated that the parliamentarians criticising the judiciary and army would be disqualified. He said that a commission would soon be set up to make shocking revelations concerning the conduct of 2013 General Elections.
The PML-Q leader demanded for a public survey to be conducted comparing the performance of his tenure and PML-N’s 5-year rule. He said that a real survey would reveal hike in the prices of flour, sugar, pulses, vegetable and incidents of crime, suicides and kidnapping for ransom. He said that number of children who are not going to schools, has gone up. He said it must also be counted how many people were not receiving zakat and free medicines in hospitals, and how many hospitals, burn units, schools and colleges had not been made functional.
Elahi remarked that an attempt to undermine the chief ministers of other provinces through choosy surveys was indeed deplorable. He said that they had abolished tax on small houses and 12.5 acres of land but the incumbent rulers had re-imposed the tax.
Commenting on the reports about youth festival, he remarked that fraud in the name of world records and loss of Rs1 billion to the provincial exchequer had exposed the rulers’ real face. Talking about the local bodies polls, Elahi said that the rulers wanted to use even the powers of councillors instead of devolution of powers at the grass-root level.