Daily Times

LAHORE: Information minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that the prospect of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) joining hands to launch a movement against the government did not make the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nervous at all.

Addressing a press conference, the information minister said that the opposition political parties were united to evade accountability. “Thugs of Pakistan will be the right title for their alliance, which is destined to fail just like Bollywood flick Thugs of Hindustan.”

He once again claimed that the political careers of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had ended. Chaudhry said Pakistan had faced a debt of Rs 6 trillion when the government of former president General Pervez Musharraf ended, but the debt rose by 84 per cent to Rs 30 trillion when Nawaz Sharif’s tenure ended. “Where has this money gone?” he asked.

He alleged that Sharif’s children had become “billionaires” at an age when an average Pakistani child was not even eligible to be issued a national identity card.

To a question, Fawad said that both the PML-N and the PPP wanted the people to take to the streets in order to save their skin. The minister said it was necessary to get rid of the old political system in order to put the country on the path to progress and the PTI had succeeded in that regard.

The minister said that the ruling PTI had dismantled the web of corrupt alliances in the country.

The minister went on to say that landmark decisions were expected in the Al Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment corruption references against Nawaz today (Monday). “The verdicts are quite obvious as the owners have failed to defend their properties,” he said in response to a question.

Recounting the government’s achievements on the economic front, he said a vivid change was happening on a daily basis. “France has changed its travel advisory while others are ready to do the same due to the improved political situation in Pakistan. The government is willing to ease visa restrictions in order to attract tourists and more investment in the country.”

Countries like United States, China, Saudi Arabia and the European Union are willing to invest in Pakistan, he added.

The minister added that the government was all set to introduce new local government system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab during next fiscal year.

To another question, he said that the Model Town case should come to its logical conclusion. “It was unfortunate that the main accused was sitting in the National Assembly while the relatives of those, who were killed in the incident, were on roads to seek justice.”

Fawad said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was doing its job well but there was still room for improvement.

Published in Daily Times, December 24^th 2018.