By Asim Shahzad
NANKANA SAHIB: Former Prime Minister and PPP Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that the time for political point-scoring is over and the urgent need is to stand together for flood victims and farmers.
Speaking to the media during a press conference in Mouz Babu Rai, Harsa Balla, Colony Jandwala, Adda Pathankot, Mouz Sahamal, and Mouz Baldhaka, Raja Pervez Ashraf, accompanied by General Secretary Hassan Murtaza, Senior Vice President Rana Farooq Saeed, Information Secretary Shahzad Saeed Cheema, and other party leaders, distributed 500 ration bags and tents among affected families in Mouz Sahamal.
He said agriculture had suffered the worst blow from floods and river erosion, which swallowed acres of farmland. “The government must declare the affected areas disaster-hit, waive all utility bills and taxes until full recovery, and provide free fertilizers, seeds, and compensation to farmers,” he demanded.
Welcoming the government’s move to announce an agricultural and meteorological emergency on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s call, Ashraf stressed that international organizations should also extend support. “The PPP will raise the voice of flood victims in assemblies and provide all possible help. Cash assistance must be distributed through BISP data to ensure transparency,” he added.
PPP General Secretary Hassan Murtaza said the Sahamal colony had been wiped out by river erosion and warned more villages could be destroyed if urgent measures were not taken. He alleged that political influence was still being used in relief efforts, urging the government to act fairly.
Both leaders reiterated that the PPP stood firmly with the flood-hit communities, vowing not to abandon them in this crisis.
