KARACHI: In a major assertion indicating Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s political ambitions in Sindh, the federal government on Saturday expressed confidence that the current provincial set-up would be Pakistan Peoples Party’s last administration due to record corruption cases and bad governance in its three consecutive terms.

The PTI is going to form the next Sindh government, said a key member of the federal cabinet and spokesman for the PTI government at Centre, accusing the PPP leaders and provincial administration of spending funds provided by the federal government for their vested interests or wasting them through corruption and misappropriation.

“Whether it’s Sindh chief minister, his cabinet members or their blue-eyed officers in the provincial administration, they all have the same mission,” said federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry while addressing a press conference at Governor House.

“The task they all have is how to shift cash stashed in launches to Dubai or move public money to London. Believe me, they have no other job. But let me tell you enough is enough. The PPP is going to fall. This is its last government in Sindh and the PTI with the support of people would form the next government here [Sindh],” the minister said.

Minister accuses PPP-led govt of misappropriating Rs1,900bn given by Centre; says world should not wait for another crisis by isolating Afghanistan

He blamed the PPP-led Sindh government for misappropriating Rs1,900 billion offered by the Imran government during its last three years. He said the provincial administration had nothing on ground to show where it had spent the funds provided by the Centre. “I think it is the job of media to ask them [Sindh government] where all this money has gone,” he added.

“It doesn’t end here. The PPP government is so anti-development that it doesn’t even allow the federal authorities to do their job to improve the lives of the people here. I give you just one example. Each and every province of the country is issuing Sehat Card to its people for better and free treatment. Only here in Sindh the people are deprived of this facility only because the PPP government doesn’t want it here. You go yourself to Larkana, Badin or any city and see what this [PPP] government has done in last 13 years.”

In a jibe targeting the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which had planned to stage a rally in Karachi on Sunday, the federal minister said the days of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s, who heads the alliance, illness were near.

“People would definitely disappoint them [PDM leaders]. I think after a failed power show on Sunday, Maulana Sahab may fall ill again [for face-saving],” he said, adding that the opposition parties were struggling for a common cause without consensual narrative.

“They [opposition leaders] criticise the government only to get some media space. Otherwise they have nothing to suggest credible and neither interested in anything good that happens in the country. They criticise our economic policy but would never suggest the right one. They don’t like our foreign policy but would never tell what was wrong with it. They are just doing politics for the sake of their survival.”

Earlier in a brief address, Mr Chaudhry warned the world against isolating Afghanistan and waiting for another crisis. The world should move fast to provide whatever administrative and financial aid could be provided instead of isolating them and waiting for another crisis to emerge, he said.

“The world should consider the threats posed by an unstable Afghanistan. The situation could have been far different if Pakistan’s suggestions on the issue were heard previously. The world is now praising Pakistan’s support in evacuations from Afghanistan and should recognise that future decisions should be made through rationale rather than the use of power.”

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2021