LAHORE: PML-Q Central Parliamentary leader Ch Pervaiz Elahi has said the party is prepared to confront any charge regarding financial mismanagement in the Bank of Punjab as neither the Chaudhry brothers nor any of their relatives has received a single penny from the bank.

Addressing a press briefing at his Lahore residence along with PML-Q President Ch Shujaat Hussain here on Tuesday, Ch Pervaiz, responding to a query regarding the arrest of the Bank of Punjab President Hamesh Khan and alleged rumours that the Punjab government was planning to net the Chaudhrys on this pretext, Pervaiz Elahi claimed that the policies of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif had completely destroyed the bank.

He said the Sharif family had created an environment of harassment in the bank, which had caused fear among its clients who were withdrawing their money. He said the BoP was a profit earning institution during his tenure with annual turnover of Rs 14 billion.

He categorically made it clear that if anybody tried to implicate them on the charge of financial irregularities in the BoP without having any authentic proof, they would definitely sue him. Pervaiz Elahi alleged that the Sharif brothers were doing politics of vindictiveness and the Chaudrys were not afraid of going to jails in this regard. "The jails are not new for us as we have been victims of vindictiveness in the past also," he added.

He lamented that the PML-N government was registering fake cases against their workers and leaders in every constituency. He said they could provide hundreds of copies of such FIRs to the media registered against their workers. He alleged the Punjab government was registering on an average 150 to 200 cases against their workers on daily basis.

Responding to another query, he said they had moved their guns towards the PML-N as that party leadership was involved in their character assassination. He reiterated his allegation that PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif was a defaulter of Rs 10 billion and that was why the by-polls were postponed.

Ch Pervaiz Elahi alleged that the PML-N government had failed to lower the prices of essential commodities, including flour, oil, petrol and others, which were skyrocketing and making the lives of poor people miserable. He said the government's recent crackdown against the farmers would discourage them to grow wheat next year, causing an even bigger crisis.

He further alleged the provincial government was blackmailing PML-Q backed district and Tehsil Nazims on the pretext of conducting audits of district governments. He said the provincial government had frozen the development funds of the district governments, which were approved by the provincial Finance Commission.

He alleged the development funds of district governments were being transferred to the provincial government in violation of rules. Pervaiz also alleged that Mian Shahbaz Sharif was desperate for power and he was conducting interviews and transfers and postings of officers without having any legal authority. Earlier, Ch Shujaat Hussain alleged that the provincial government had completed its 100 days but they had failed to fulfill their promise on providing relief to the masses. He urged the government to forget the judges' issue and the booking of the PML-Q workers on flimsy grounds and adopt measures for providing relief to their workers. The press conference was conducted after the Lahore District organisational committee meeting.