LAHORE: The provincial leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party has accused the Chief Minister of Punjab of weakening the federation and making the PPP leadership a target of unnecessary criticism.

Hassan Murtaza Syed, General Secretary of Pakistan Peoples Party Central Punjab, and Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Senior Vice President Central Punjab, addressed a crowded press conference today at Secretariat Chowk Jameelabad in Faisalabad, stating that the Chief Minister of Punjab has conspired to weaken the federation through a calculated plan while making the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership a target of criticism.

The provincial leaders said that the Punjab government has announced the allocation of millions of rupees in the form of loans for house construction, which will later be recovered in installments. However, the Pakistan Peoples Party's Sindh government initiated a project to build 1.3 million houses for flood victims, of which 600,000 houses have already been distributed free of charge to the affected people.

PPP leaders demanded that the Punjab government should also take practical measures for oppressed farmers whose crops worth billions of rupees have been destroyed by flood devastation.

The provincial leaders further stated that Punjab is currently collecting 37 percent of revenue and receiving 52 percent from the federation, while the Sindh government is collecting 48 percent of revenue and receiving only 25 percent. Under the NFC Award, Punjab is taking 14 percent more than its revenue collection, while Sindh is taking 23 percent less than its revenue collection. Despite this, Sindh is being made a target of criticism.

PPP leaders said that the Chief Minister of Punjab should immediately cease the series of unwarranted criticism of Pakistan Peoples Party leadership and take practical measures for the welfare and prosperity of the people. They said that the Pakistan Peoples Party has supported the Muslim League (N) government in the national interest. "We want this coalition to continue for the betterment of the country and public interest. This should not be considered our weakness."

On this occasion, Vice President Central Punjab Chaudhry Arshad Jutt, City President Rana Naeem Dastgir Khan, General Secretary Mian Ashfaq Hussain, Information Secretary Rana Khawer Javed, Media Coordinator Muhammad Athar Sharif, Secretary Record and Events Muhammad Zaman Khan, Liaison Secretary Abid Yaseen Butt, Vice President Mian Basharat Ali, and former Information Secretary Mian Zafar Iqbal Tahir were also present.