Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has accused PTI-led federal government of sabotaging the steps taken by Sindh government in fight against coronavirus.
“It is the responsibility of the country’s leadership to take difficult decisions in the event of a national crisis. But this will be the first time that the Centre and the prime minister have announced their disengagement from the provinces,” Bilawal said, adding that the federal government cannot abdicate its responsibility to formulate a comprehensive strategy for the country by ‘misinterpreting’ the 18th Amendment. He emphasized that the federal government is responsible for formulating a policy at the national level, adding that there is a ‘lack of leadership’ in the federal government.
Referring to the recent efforts of the federal government to bring some major hospitals of Sindh under its control, Bilawal said, “The 18th Amendment is ignored when Centre wants to snatch hospitals of Sindh, but when there is an pandemic all over the world and the country is in a war-like situation, Centre is talking about the 18th Amendment.” “If the federal government has no role to play after the 18th Amendment, then why is there a National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the country? Why is there a federal health secretary?” he asked.
Talking about the perception of tensions between the Centre and Sindh, Bilawal said that the federal government has been criticizing the most successful province ‘to hide its incompetence’. “Statements of the prime minister are very irresponsible. Every province is trying to deal with the situation to the best of its ability, but even then, Centre is busy in criticism,” he said, and stressed that it is time to get united to fight this deadly virus.