RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has charged PPP Rs451,135 for ‘damaging’ flowers , plants, pots and trees of historical Liaquat Bagh during a public meeting on Dec 27 on the occasion of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary.

For the first time in the history, any political party had to pay for damages to Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) of Rawalpindi.

In the past ruling PTI and opposition PML-N and even religious parties like Jamaat-i-Islami as well as Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan held public meetings but PHA did not claim any damages.

While giving details of damages to PPP, PHA said lightening system and fauna and flora of the garden had been destroyed by the participants of the public meeting.

It claimed Rs24,022 for damaging lights and tiles in the park, Rs366,700 and Rs60,414 for damaging trees and plants and water supply pipes respectively.

The PHA had seized the chairs, tents and stage of public gathering but gave back to PPP city chapter after the party deposited the amount in a private bank’s accounts of PHA Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

PPP City President Babar Jadoon told Dawn that it was strange that the PHA claimed damages from PPP but it never charged a single penny from religious parties and PML-N even the ruling PTI in the past for holding public meeting at the park.

“Earlier, PHA had estimated one million rupees for the damages, but we contested the claim and the matter was settled at Rs451,135,” he said. He claimed not a single tree or flower pot was damaged during the public meeting,” he said.

Mr Jadoon said the PTI government was behind the move to charge for damages after seeing successful show of PPP in Punjab.

“After being unable to pay funds to the development authority, the Punjab government is exploring every avenue to generate revenue and that is why it was claiming damages from PPP,” he said.

He said the party deposited the amount on Wednesday and lifted its goods from the park.

He said PTI had held similar public meetings during the PPP tenure in Islamabad and other parts of the country but it was not charged for any damages.

He said PPP had got permission from the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench.

He said the court not only gave permission to PPP for holding public meeting but asked the government to provide foolproof security to the meeting.

When contacted, Punjab Chief Minister’s Adviser on Horticulture Asif Mehmood, who is also chairman of PHA, admitted that damages were claimed for the first time from any political party.

He said the participants of the public meeting damaged expensive trees, pots, water supply lines, electricity panels and others.

“We charged for damages not for rent of the public meeting,” he said.

“After getting money from PPP, the PHA decided to make it compulsory to charge for damages from those who will hold public meeting in Liaquat Bagh in future. I will ensure that ruling PTI will also pay the damages if occurred in their public meeting at the venue,” he said.

He said the PHA had worked hard in the last two years to develop the park and planted expensive trees and plants.

He claimed that the government had turned the city neat and green but the PPP destroyed it by holding public meeting.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2020