Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Monday said opposition, while putting aside the national interest, wants to get ‘NRO’ (National Reconciliation Ordinance) in exchange for its support of legislation related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Addressing a press conference here, he said while opposing FATF legislation, the opposition did everything to push Pakistan into the black list of FATF. Pakistan cannot afford to get in the black list of FATF, he said adding, “We have to pass these FATF bills to protect Pakistan from financial difficulties and people from the impact of inflation.” “Opposition wanted NRO by changing the law and by interpreting the law in its own favour,” he said.
Shibli said it is still hoped that opposition will support the FATF legislation. “I urge members of Parliament to keep in view the interest of the country,” he said. “The opposition parties are raising hue and cry as they want that nobody should ask them about their theft,” he stressed.
The minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan is constantly in touch with the authorities on the situation in Karachi and will visit the city in the current week. “Our sympathies were with the people of Karachi,” he said, adding that the prime minister talked to chief minister Sindh and assured of his cooperation. He said a three point programme given by the prime minister would be implemented in coordination with the Sindh government to resolve issues in Karachi.
He said the federal government never did politics on the issues of Karachi but unfortunately Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was doing so on the present situation. “PPP leadership was holding press conferences and on Monday, Qamar Zaman Kaira held a press conference on the situation in Karachi,” he continued. “Whenever there is an issue of national importance, the top leadership of PPP disappears from the country,” he remarked.
Shibli said Imran Khan will not go along with those people in the country who were rejected in the elections on August 18, 2018 and looted the country. “Imran Khan is consistently working for the welfare of people especially for poor and middle class,” he said. “All his initiatives are for the poor in the Naya Pakistan,” he observed.
Shibli said the government in Sindh took trillions of rupees but the province miserably lacks infrastructure, roads, health and education facilities and the law and order situation is also bad. He said if the federal government would give more money to the Sindh government, it would go into their personal bank accounts. “Opposition has only one agenda and it is trying that the government should not succeed in resolving problems of the people,” he said. “We exposed the reality of the opposition before the people,” he added.
Shibli said opposition’s all-parties conference would not be held as the opposition leaders are not sincere with each other. “Imran Khan is taking Pakistan out of difficulties with determination, however the opposition is not interested in the welfare of people,” he asserted.
The minister said no doubt there are problems of inflation but eventually the government would overcome the challenges. “Indicators of the economy were positive and economic activity was being revived and the good days would come,” he said, and assured that prices of sugar and wheat will come down with the import of these commodities. He said the government has almost overcome the issue of coronavirus but still care is needed to stop spread of the disease.
