Those who snatched bread from the poor should be ashamed of distributing ‘packets of double bread’ in their houses ahead of local government elections. The Lahorites are self-respecting, honourable and democratic people and they are not going to forget the oppression seven-year rule of PML-N has inflicted on them.

These remarks were made by the central PAT leaders Dr Raheeq Abbasi, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Raja Zahid Mahmood, Hafiz Ghulam Farid, Saqib Bhatti and Raja Nadeem while addressing an election rally yesterday. The rally started from Amer Sadhu and went to every ward of Cantonment area. The hundreds of motor cyclists attended the rally. They were chanting slogans in favour of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and his concept of revolution. The participants of the rally were accorded a warm welcome everywhere where the receptionists showered rose petals on them.

Addressing the rally, PAT President Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi said that PAT would turn the local government institutions into centres of public service. He said that we would make those accountable who plundered the LG institutions for seven years and purge the LG governments of corruption.

Addressing the participants, PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that had the Supreme Court not given a verdict, these rulers would not have let the local government elections get conducted. He said that the local government system is considered to be the most effective and practicable system of public service in the world but the leadership believing in the idea of one-man show has usurped the power and resources of local government institutions for long.

Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that PAT would free the LG institutions of the occupation of mafias and hand them back to the people. He said that the people’s problems multiplied in the absence of local government system for seven years. He said that the rulers are distributing state patronage in the form of development funds to buy votes because they know that people would not elect their representatives on the basis of performance, which also includes the shameful act of distributing packets of ‘double bread’. He said that PAT would restore the lost glory of the local government institutions under the light of ten-point revolutionary agenda of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri. He said that we would continue to struggle for more empowerment of the LG institutions.