-Shahzad Akbar says govt won’t allow Shehbaz to run away
-Shehbaz Sharif claims PML-N targeted for serving the nation
By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: In response to the allegations put forward by Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Monday appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to let the media carry out live broadcasts of high-profile cases.
Fawad, in a press conference alongside Energy Minister Hammad Azhar and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar, slammed the Opposition, while specifically calling out PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif.
The minister said that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, seeing PTI’s victory, fled halfway during the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections. He added that PML-N has already started rigging allegations in relation to the July 25 polls. “Election campaign is underway in Kashmir and PTI is in a stable position. No other political party was able to field candidates for all the seats,” said Fawad. “PML-N has already started the rigging allegations. Maryam Nawaz has shown no policy in her election campaign, and very soon, she will also flee from the AJK campaign,” said the information minister.
Fawad went on to say that the government expected Shahbaz Sharif to speak about the FIA summoning case, adding that whenever the opposition leader was asked about the money found in his account, he would say that he built metros.
“One thing that is common among PPP and PML-N is that the money they were given was found in London, Dubai and France,” said Fawad. He added that the opposition leader should give a response to allegations put against him in the media and the FIA. On the other hand, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar slammed the PML-N leader for his comments on the power crisis.
Azhar explained that the load shedding in the country was taking place not due to a lack of power generation but because of weakness in the transmission system. He also claimed that in the last few days the country successfully generated 24,000 megawatts of electricity.
“If you made cheap agreements then why did the circular debt increase to Rs1.2 trillion,” asked Azhar. He also shared that he had spoken with the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) representative, saying that he had informed him that no unannounced load-shedding was happening anywhere in the country.
Advisor to PM Shahzad Akbar claimed that Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif’s health was in a bad condition ever since he was not allowed to go to London. “Who does not know the current plight of Shahbaz Sharif. His latest joke is that he was harassed by the FIA,” said Akbar. He added that the FIA had given him the notice to appear on June 15 and he appeared on June 22.
“Confusion is being spread by talking about Shahbaz Sharif’s FIA case,” said Akbar. He added that all FIA interviews are recorded. The advisor claimed that Shahbaz was trying to influence the institution by issuing such statements. He added that during interrogation, the FIA had asked Shahbaz about his accounts.
“In response, Shahbaz Sharif told the official that the situation is not always the same. Such people try to intimidate and frighten people,” said the advisor. “Trial is going on, answer questions, don’t try to flee London. We will not let you go from here,” said Akbar.
Earlier in the day, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said the entire Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was being “targeted” for serving the nation and working like a “supernatural power” during its tenure that helped pull the country out of crisis.
“We saved Rs250 billion in our power projects, completed metro bus project on time, provided free medicines to people, launched health cards across Pakistan these are the public service initiatives for which we are being targeted,” he told a press conference in Lahore.
Flanked by former finance minister Miftah Ismail, Sharif alleged the incumbent PTI government had once again plunged Pakistan into the loadshedding crisis, a menace that he claimed former premier Nawaz Sharif had rid the country of.
“Is this the Naya Pakistan they had been pressing to introduce?” he asked, adding: “I must tell you ridding the country of loadshedding between 2013 and 2018 was no less than a miracle and it came about because of our hard work and commitment.” He said loadshedding across different parts of the country was taking place mainly due to the “misdeeds” of the government.
Sharif recalled that the PML-N government had installed four power plants in Bhikki, Haveli Bahadur Shah, Baluki and Trimmu. “No corruption was proved in our power plants and these plants are the cheapest in the world,” he claimed.
