Requests AC to hear Shehbaz case on day-to-day basis
LAHORE: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said Pakistan’s political landscape, economy, and defence are “stable”, going on to claim the masses are “not upset” with the government. He said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif was left with only two options: either to go to London or jail. Talking to the media here, he said that the accountability court had been requested to conduct day-to-day hearing of Shehbaz Sharif case so that it could be concluded at the earliest.
Chaudhry, speaking to reporters in Lahore, said the PTI-led government freed Pakistan of loans worth $32 billion in the last three years, and had it not been for Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country “would have defaulted”.”Today, even after paying off huge amounts in loans, Pakistan’s economic situation is still stable and growing,” he maintained.Chaudhry said the incumbent government, besides “strengthening the economy”, introduced the “largest social protection programme” to improve people’s living standards.
The information minister said Pakistan’s economy would witness a “significant improvement” in August or September next year due to the government’s policies.Taking the Opposition to task, Chaudhry said PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif was left with only two options — either to go to London or jail.He said the government has requested the Lahore High Court (LHC) to conduct a day-to-day hearing of Shahbaz’s case so it can be concluded at the earliest.Chaudhry said the media should analyse witness testimony and evidence by covering the LHC proceedings and evaluate whether Shahbaz was involved in money laundering or not, instead of giving coverage to his claims or remarks.
The minister said Shahbaz should not worry about the country, as it was moving in “the right direction” and the people “fully back” the Imran Khan-led government.To a question, Chaudhry said the Opposition’s central leadership was “absconding” and as a result, the government was unable to hold talks with them.”PPP has always played the Sindh card instead of strengthening the federation. Now they have deprived the people of Sindh of the Sehat card,” he said.The information minister said PPP had become “unpopular” due to its leadership’s “negative policies”.”That was why it could organise a public gathering even at a 10-marla space.”
He said that the media should analyse the witnesses and evidence by covering the accountability court proceedings and evaluate whether Shehbaz Sharif was involved in money laundering or not, instead of giving coverage to Shehbaz Sharif’s claims or remarks. The minister said that Shehbaz Sharif should not worry as the country was moving in the right direction and people of country fully supported Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government.
He said the opposition was in a state of confusion, as first it claimed that Nawaz Sharif was returning to the country on his own; however when the government offered them that it would bring him (Nawaz) back, then they backed off. To a question, he said that previous regimes of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari damaged the national economy by getting huge loans, due to which now the government had to pay off these loans of $55 billion in the next two years. It has to take loans to return the previous loans, he added.
Today, even after paying off huge amounts in loans, Pakistan’s economic situation was still stable and growing, he asserted. To another query, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that the opposition central leadership had been absconding; so how the government could hold talks with them, adding that Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz should engage in national politics but they did not want to do so.The PPP had always played the Sindh card instead of strengthening the federation. Now the Sindh government had deprived the people of Sindh from the Sehat card, he said and added that PPP’s leadership was afraid of its own workers and was unable to face them. He said the PPP had become unpopular due to its leadership’s negative policies. That was why it could organise a public gathering even at a 10-marla space, he added.
He said that victory or defeat were part of electoral process as the political leaders were answerable to people about their political efforts and commitments, adding that the PTI won elections in Sialkot and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Earlier, the minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had once again expressed his commitment to the people of the country and pledged to make Pakistan a welfare state based on the principles of Riyasat-e-Medina.He said that the corrupt era of previous governments had ended in Pakistan as now a people-centric government was working to put the country on the way to progress and prosperity.
He said the opposition’s central leadership did not attend the National Assembly’s proceedings while they claimed that 29 members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had contacted the PML-N. But, in fact, the whole opposition members were in contact with the PTI and even the PML-N members did not oppose the Supplementary Finance Bill, he added. Fawad said it was an ironic that PML-N’s leader and former defence minister Khwaja Asif, who was employed in an organisation in Saudi Arabia and getting salary, was telling the PTI government about the threats and challenges to national security and integrity.