PTI launches membership drive in Lahore

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan criticised Sharif brothers while launching the party's two-day membership drive in Lahore and told his workers that it's turn of Shahbaz Sharif to face the consequences of his wrong doings after Nawaz Sharif.
Imran blamed Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for swindling public money in the name of development projects. "Contracts are awarded to his blue-eyed contractors and later under the head of escalation in the cost of projects, taxpayers' money has been embezzled," he said. while addressing a press conference here on Saturday. He was flanked by senior PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Jehangir Khan Tareen.
He also accused the Punjab government for spending an overwhelming amount of the Punjab's annual development funds on Lahore at the expense of south Punjab.
Elaborating the corrupt practices of Shahbaz Sharif, Imran claimed that four constructors are acting as front men for the chief minister to embezzle money. By awarding heavy invested infrastructural projects to them, the Sharif family is minting money. "Biddings of the projects are tempered; these contractors make the lowest bid and later at the execution stage under the head of escalation in the cost of projects they make money," he alleged. Asking Shahbaz Sharif to come back from London, he said they are moving a reference to NAB for necessary action against him.
He pointed out that under the law only 15 percent escalation costs is permitted and beyond that it is mandatory to investigate the reasons behind it. "However, the cost of all the Punjab government's projects crossed that limit but the escalated cost was never probed into," he claimed.
He accused the Habib Construction Services (Pvt) Ltd as one of the blue-eye contractors of Shahbaz Sharif. He accused this company of deliberately escalating the costs of two projects manifold. "This company was involved in Metro Bus Transit Bus System Lahore project and a construction of barrel for an underpass at Model Town Mor. In both projects, the costs escalated by 121 percent (from Rs 948.767 million to Rs 2.06475 billion) and 255 percent (from 194.658 million to Rs 497.788 million), respectively."
In another project, dualization of a road from LOS Ferozepur Road to Multan, Imran accused the ZKB Reliable Engineering of a similar 'crime'. He told the media that said company escalated the cost of project from 397.285 million rupees to 1.985 billion rupees which becomes 600 percent.
"We will approach the National Accountability Bureau and would request them to launch an investigation against the Habib Construction. I am sure that the trail will lead to Shahbaz Sharif. It is the people's money that is being embezzled and thus we will continue to expose the corruption of the Sharif family," he added.
He lambasted the Punjab government for spending a huge amount of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) on Lahore. He said last year 55 percent of the Rs 635 billion ADP was spent on the development of the provincial capital. "This amount is three times than the total Khyber Pakhtunkwa's annual development budget (Rs 110 billion)," he added. "The funds supposed to be spent on the entire province were diverted to one city," he added.
According to him, the taxpayers' money prudently spent on social sectors; there would have been no need for the Sharif family to go abroad for medical treatment. A state-of-the-art hospital was established in KP at a cost of Rs 4 billion and the Punjab government could not manage that amount from its Rs 635 billion development budget to make a hospital of international standard. Misuse of public money on infrastructural projects has left common people without a proper medical cover.
"There was no need to spend development budget on projects like metro bus Multan. The Punjab government wasted the people's money on this project. It was not needed in the city as the buses are running empty. The projects are launched on the whim of one person (Shahbaz Sharif), without making any feasibility," he added.
He also accused the Sharif family of misusing the public money on the development of Raiwind area with aim of boosting the price of their land that they purchased at a nominal price many years ago. In comparison, he credited Malik Riaz of Bahria Town for spending money from his own pocket on the development of his projects.
To a question, he said the prime minister's only agenda is to get his leader (Nawaz Sharif) freed from the corruption cases by getting an NRO. He also accused the PM of corruption in the LNG project.
To another question, he said, "When we raised objection about the involvement of money in the Senate election three years ago, no one listened to us. Now, after losing the Senate elections, the PML-N is talking about horse trading."
When asked about the life threat to him, Imran said "only those who are intimidated by me will attack me". He also announced that on April 29 they will hold a huge public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan and there he will tell Nawaz Sharif that 'why he was ousted'.
Meanwhile, during stay in the city, Imran visited the PTI membership camps set up at Liberty Chowk, Faisal Town, Yateem Khana Chowk, Liaqat Chowk at Sabzazar, Shadhara, Jalo Moore, Dahrampura and Passco Town.
While addressing the party workers at different places, Imran said for 30 years the Sharif family ruled Lahore and during this time they only burdened the people with huge debts and made money for themselves. "We will defeat them in the forthcoming general elections...," he added. He urged the people of Lahore to become PTI member and thus join its struggle against the corrupt mafia. Imran was critical of the Orange Train Project and added that the money spent on this project could have been used on the people's wellbeing and uplift of social sector. He also accused the Punjab government of steeling Rs 50 billion from the Orange Train and added that they will prove it in due course of time. He vowed to make 'a new Pakistan, a better Pakistan'.