KARACHI: Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday thanked National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for its services in Karachi and said that there should be no politics on national issues and disasters.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Thursday, Bilawal Bhutto lamented that the provinces have not been given their due rights and had to face injustices again and again. "NFC Award is the right of the provinces," he said adding that provinces share greater responsibility after the 18th amendment.
However, he said that even disasters, like that of coronavirus and torrential rains in Sindh, have not refrained the Centre from snatching rights of the province. Bilawal Bhutto announced to oppose any unconstitutional or illegal step taken by the federal government in Karachi and said that they would not allow making the city one of their colonies.
"We will oppose the move even if it gets a legal cover from the court," he said and warned that if it happens, it would be considered an attack on the Sindh province.
Pakistan is passing through testing times and we hope no such steps will be taken," Bilawal Bhutto said and once again warned that it would have serious consequences for entire Pakistan. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced that the PPP would not support any bills other than those related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and further claimed that certain people wanted to acquire powers using the bills.
"We foiled the attempt by bringing improvement in the bills," he said and added that three bills presented in the Parliament have nothing to do with the FATF. He applauded the masses for cooperating with the Sindh government during the pandemic and rejected a misconception that coronavirus is no more a threat to the country.
"We all have to ensure implementation on the coronavirus SOPs so that we avoid a second wave," the PPP chairman said. He further said that the activists wanted to go by road for the hearing of a case against Asif Ali Zardari. "Even the court admitted that Asif Zardari is not given proper medical facilities in the prison," he said.
Criticising the Peshawar BRT project, he said that the Prime Minister has inaugurated an unfinished project. He said that Peshawar High Court had ordered NAB to conduct investigation on alleged kickbacks in BRT project, it is time the stay order is lifted and the facts are revealed to the public.
Talking about the situation of coronavirus in Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto said that the Sindh government had decided to lockdown first but Imran Khan was quick to take credit when Bill Gates mentioned Karachi. He said that misconceptions are being spread about coronavirus dying down, as it can bounce back as quickly as it has gone down.