LAHORE:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced plans to release a white paper evaluating the performance of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in Punjab during its first year in office.
Addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition in Punjab, Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, sharply criticised the provincial government, alleging that public funds were being misused for self-promotion.
Without directly naming Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, he accused the administration of diverting state resources toward promoting her and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Bhachar further revealed PTI’s intent to challenge the Punjab government in court over excessive spending on personal publicity, arguing that such expenditures were in contempt of a Supreme Court ruling.
He accused the PML-N of prioritising political victimization over governance, claiming that party workers and leaders were being targeted through unlawful raids and suppression tactics.
“The government has resorted to authoritarian measures, harassing our members instead of addressing public concerns,” Bhachar said, citing an incident where law enforcement allegedly raided the property of a PTI leader in Mandi Bahauddin following an attempt to establish a party office.
He also claimed that PTI’s nominee for chief minister, Mian Aslam Iqbal, had been repeatedly denied the opportunity to take his oath in the Punjab Assembly despite securing bail twice.
Bhachar urged Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan to arrange for Iqbal’s oath-taking remotely and ensure the protection of all assembly members.
Discussing economic challenges, Bhachar asserted that under the PTI government, Faisalabad’s textile sector had been thriving, with a demand for 150,000 workers.
