Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry Saturday expressed the commitment that the accountability process will reach its logical conclusion, laying the foundation of a prosperous Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference here, he said the recovery of national wealth plundered by the corrupt elements, including the Sharif brothers and Asif Zardari, is imperative to improve the country’s economy. “The Sharif family wants that the law should follow their whims and they should not be held accountable for the national wealth they have plundered,” he said.
Fawad said Pakistan’s total foreign debt from 1947 to 2007 was only $37 billion, which was judiciously utilized to execute many mega projects, including the development of Islamabad as the capital, construction of Mangla and Tarbela dams, Navy bases and Gwadar Deep Seaport. “But from the year 2008 to 2018 it touched the whooping $ 97 billion mark. The question arises as to where the whooping amount of $60 billion has gone. The big chunk of this amount was misappropriated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari, who remained in government during the period (2008-2018),” he said. The people will have to endure price hike and economic crunch till the recovery of the looted money from the two former rulers, he added.
Referring to the massacre of innocent workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in Model Town Lahore in 2014, he said the behaviour of the then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was totally different as compared to the today’s regime. “Now in the same Model Town, PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz has confined himself in the basement of his house to avoid arrest and that too by making women and children as a shield,” he added.
Fawad said it is time now to have discrimination between an act of crime and politics. “The nation should not suffer anymore. The opposition leaders are out to conceal the public money misappropriated by them,” he said. Hamza Shehbaz, he said, was being arrested in light of statements of two witnesses. “Evidence of wrongdoings by Shehbaz Sharif and his family is available. He should better cooperate with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and surrender himself before law, which otherwise will take its own course,” he added.
Fawad said when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to power last year, the country was on the verge of bankruptcy due to the loot and plunder of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari. “Now Pakistan is moving towards economic stability owing to positive measures taken by the incumbent government,” he said. The PTI government, he said, has taken bold decisions for economic stability.
To a question, the minister said the opposition poses no threat to the government. He said the PTI government has eased visa restrictions for promoting tourism in the country. The contours of amnesty scheme for declaring assets abroad are being finalised, he added.
Fawad said so far two-thirds economy of the country is undocumented. The next budget will be industry-friendly as the export sector has already been provided subsidy of Rs 45 billion, he added.
The minister said a crackdown has been launched against the people hoarding dollars.
He criticized PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb for issuing baseless statements.
Responding to a question, Fawad said the government has nothing to do with NAB activities.
He said it was Prime Minister Imran Khan who had raised voice against former MQM chief Altaf Hussainn for his terrorist activities during his prime time. Today’s Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) has changed and is totally different from its past, he added.