ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Tuesday, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sought the report of Karachi blast incident which claimed innocent lives, including those of Chinese nationals working at the Confucius Institute at Karachi University.

While condemning the attack, she said Nawaz Sharif had established peace with all the provincial governments under the National Action Program, all the units of the federation had contributed to it.

The prime minister’s priority is to improve the law and order situation, she added.

We will work with the Sindh government to prevent such incidents in the future. Two weeks ago, the PTI government was robbing the people, left six million youth unemployed, raised inflation from 3.1 percent to six percent, borrowed a loan of Rs43,000 billion, Aurangzeb said while adding that today their people are questioning the government about loadshedding and unemployment. She asked them to be ashamed of themselves for such behavior.

She said “incompetence, ineptness and bullying” were the hallmarks of former prime minister Imran Khan, who had deprived the masses of affordable daily use commodities.

She said Imran had become “a brand name for incompetence”. Browbeating, bullying and hurling of threats by Imran Khan would no more work as now he would have to account for the problems being confronted by the country due to his four years of “misrule and incompetence”.

Imran was in the dock, he should answer about price hike, loadshedding, increase in foreign debts and high flying dollar as the same were the result of his bad governance, she added.

Äurangzeb said the present government wanted to give relief to the people, whose lives were made miserable by the Imran Khan-led regime. Imran would soon become “a relic of history” as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif through his day and night efforts would provide solace to the people.

When questioned about the source of foreign funding, Imran threatened the Election Commission of Pakistan of dire consequences, she said.

The minister told the media that Prime Minister Shehbaz had directed that there should be zero loadshedding from May 1.

She said for provision of relief to the people, the government had reduced the prices of flour, ghee, and sugar.

She said the last Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had added 14,000 MW electricity to the system. Twenty out of 27 dysfunctional power plants had been made operational and availability of fuel to them would be fully ensured by May 7.

Lashing out at Imran Khan, she alleged the former prime minister destroyed the economy, rendered nearly six million people jobless, increased prices of commodities to unprecedented level and borrowed record over $43,000 billion debt, besides selling Kashmir (to India) during his four-year rule.

Instead of holding protest demonstrations, Imran should better stop telling “lies” and inform about the sources of his foreign funding, she added.

Quoting Khawaja Asif’s saying “Koi Sharam Hoti Hay, Koi Haya Hoti Hay”, she said Imran had the audacity to blame the present government for power load-shedding, unemployment, and shortage of diesel.

She said Imran Khan should answer about the money laundering of $7 million in 16 dubious accounts, which the PTI had not declared. Instead of answering the vital question, Imran had launched a vilification campaign against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and attacked the ECP.

She said Imran Khan, who was responsible for sky rocketing prices of wheat flour, sugar, electricity, and gas, should answer misappropriations in the foreign funding case after eight years.

Imran Khan cannot force the government to announce early elections, which will be held at an appropriate time, she added.

The minister said Imran Khan remained “imposed” for about four years only to destroy the economy and plunge the country into darkness. He victimized the media, imposed restrictions on journalists, and “brazenly violated” the Constitution.

She lauded the steadfastness of media persons and traders who fought the “fascist” government of Imran Khan. Answering a question, Marriyum said Prime Minister Shehbaz had also issued strict directions against the hoarders of diesel, who were causing problems for farmers in harvesting their crops.

The prime minister directed the concerned to show zero tolerance against hoarding of diesel, she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022