PPP offers funeral prayers for victims of drug fiasco

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) members offered special funeral prayers on Sunday for the 108 victims of contaminated drugs provided by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), while also demanding resignation from Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif over criminal negligence in the matter.

The Punjab and Lahore chapters of the party offered joint funeral prayers in front of the Lahore Press Club, however, none of the prominent office-bearers, including the party presidents Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Warraich and Samina Khalid Ghurki were present on the occasion.

The PPP has disseminated the city into four districts and 25 zones, appointing presidents for all these areas so as to strengthen the party at grass root level. However, presidents of only two districts and four zones along with hardly 50 workers participated in the prayers.

Allama Muhammad Babar Kazmi led the funeral prayers offered for the victims of the drug fiasco in the province.

Later, the party workers chanted slogans against the provincial rulers and demanded the CM’s resignation, condemning him for holding the portfolio of health minister along with 15 other ministries.

PPP Lahore General Secretary Akbar Khan along with other party leaders and office bearers, including Mian Ayub, Usman Saleem Malik, Dr Hasnat Shah, Altaf Qureshi, Shahida Jabeen, Azizur Rehman Chann, Khurram Khosa, Afnan Butt, Ayub Naqvi and Mani Pehalwan participated in the funerals and the protest that was held later.

Talking to Daily Times, the party workers strongly criticised the absence of the party’s heads and expressed concerns about the party’s declining popularity among the masses.

They said that party leaders, especially the zonal presidents, did not seem interested in working for the party or attending its events, rather concentrated on getting personal interests and incentives.

According to party sources, PPP Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Warraich and General Secretary Samiullah Khan, both were present in the city but did not bother to participate in the prayers.

Separately, Warraich, in a statement, said that the Punjab CM was not paying attention towards the problems of the masses and spent most of his time abroad.

He said that the Punjab government should inform the nation about those responsible for the deaths from spurious drugs, adding that Shahbaz Sharif should also tell the people as to why he was not appointing anyone on the post of health minister in the province.