LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan on Tuesday said Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar reduced the government expenses by Rs550 million and recovered over nine lac Kanal official land.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan asserted that the former government caused loss of Rs21 billion dollars to the national exchequer. He said more than 2,000 officials were appointed for the security of the then Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s relatives and he had established eight camp offices but neither of them was in Lahore. He said that Sardar Usman Buzdar could not be compared with the opposition leaders as he had not laundered money.

Usman Buzdar has worked silently and did not set up any camp office and reduced the expenses by 60 per cent, therefore, he should be praised like Sher Shah Suri, he added.

The provincial minister said the people like Talal Chaudhry, Daniyal Aziz and Javed Latif had earlier taken over the system. Usman Buzdar’s government has recovered loans worth over Rs10 billion in one year, whereas, allocated 35 per cent budget for south Punjab and built shelter homes for the poor. He said that the chief minister allocated a huge portion of funds for the development of South Punjab in the provincial budget for the first time in the history of the province.

The policies pertaining to district industry and special education were approved during Usman Buzdar’s tenure and construction of nine universities and nine hospitals has been started. Langar khanas have been opened in Punjab for the first time.

Chohan said previously every person raised slogan against neglecting South Punjab. Now six out of nine hospitals in the province are being constructed in South Punjab. CM Usman Buzdar could be titled as Waseem Akram-Plus, if we thoroughly review his performance of over one year.

He said Punjab had collected 104 per cent tax revenue which increased the province’s income up to Rs75 billion. In the first year the policies for tourism, agriculture, labours, industries, water and forests were approved in Punjab.

The provincial minister continued that 36 bills were approved by the Punjab government for the first time in the history of the province.

So-called political leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had grabbed government lands during their tenures, said Fayyazul Hassan Chohan. Chohan said that the financial services company Moody’s had admitted that Pakistan ‘s economy was entering the stability phase.