Federal Law Minister Babar Awan has criticised Punjab government for not spending a single penny out of the provincial budget on flood affectees and investing all its energies on 'politics of flood'. He was talking to media at the Governor's House on Tuesday. PPP Lahore President Chaudhry Asghar Gujjar and Zikria Butt were also present on the occasion.
Awan said Punjab, out of Rs 480 billion provincial budget, had not spent Rs 480 on the flood affectees. He criticised Punjab government for 'deputing all its hawks' for fanning politics of non-issues out of flood situation. He also questioned the undue delay in holding meeting of provincial cabinet, asking if there was a stay order against any such meeting.
He said Punjab rulers were trying to hide their failures behind the politics of flood, adding that he wished Punjab government made a change in their political approach. The minister asked media to investigate as to how hundreds and thousands of people were left to the mercy of floodwater, simply to keep the farmhouses of an important political person in Punjab.
Further, media should also investigate that who recently purchased a sugar mill near Jhang district and also visited it, he added. He pointed that Punjab was the only province where no planning was made to save the flood affectees. Some 20 million people in Punjab were affected from floods and cities in Southern Punjab had turned into small islands.
He said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was focused on rehabilitation of flood affectees but 'remnants of dictatorship' were busy in blame game. He urged the media to carry out balanced reporting and do not waste time on what has never happened. He clarified that PPP had nothing to do with internal dispute of cable operators and PPP was committed to freedom of information in the country.
Awan, without mentioning name, criticised Chaudhry Nisar Ali and challenged him for an open debate on the prevailing situation in the country. He said Nawaz Sharif should join practical politics to take his party out of the grip of dozens of candidates for premiership.
He made it clear that PPP's doors were open for joint strategy on flood with PML-N. Had there been timely elections of local bodies in the country, relief efforts could be more effective during floods, he said. He urged the international community and Islamic block to come forward and help out Pakistan, which was facing a crisis-like situation.
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