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LAHORE – PML-N President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s address spelled further doom for the masses.
Taking to twitter, reacting to the announcement of relief by Imran Khan, the opposition leader said that this speech was an admission of incompetence, helplessness and utter administrative paralysis. He added that PTI government had become a liability. “Today’s address of Imran Khan spells further doom for the masses. This speech was an admission of incompetence, helplessness and utter administrative paralysis. PM came across as someone who has lost control on everything. PTI govt has become a liability,” Shehbaz Sharif tweeted.
Earlier, responding to the address of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and announcement of relief package, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the prime minister’s package was nothing but a joke.
Taking to twitter, the PPP chairman said, “PM claims few families will benefit from 30 per cent discount for only 6 months on Ghee, Flour and lentils.
“In three years, ghee increased 108 per cent, flour 50 per cent and gas 300 per cent. 30 per cent is too little, too late for 200 million people facing historic inflation, poverty and unemployment,” Bilawal Bhutto tweeted.
“Imran Khan’s advice to his ministers to ‘support’ two of their cabinet colleagues is a provocation to frontally attack Election Commission,” Shehbaz stated. “He is targeting ECP at a time of massive internal and external challenges. He cannot be allowed to browbeat our institutions into submission,” Shehbaz added.
As per sources, the prime minister in a meeting held yesterday told federal ministers to support Swati and Chaudhry and asked them to accompany them to ECP whenever they are summoned.
It is pertinent to note that in September, Swati had accused the ECP of taking money from companies that make EVMs during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee for Parliamentary Affairs.
On the other hand, Fawad Chaudhry stated that ECP had become headquarters for the Opposition, and that the chief election commissioner is “acting as their mouthpiece”.
Pertaining to the allegations, the ECP served notices to both Chaudhry and Swati on September 16 seeking explanation over the matter, from both the ministers for accusations against CEC Sikander Sultan Raja and the commission.
Both the ministers, on September 23, requested for an extension from the ECP to submit their replies. On September 28, the ECP granted the federal ministers more time to submit their replies regarding the allegations they had levelled.
However, in a hearing of the case on October 27, the ECP issued a show case notice to both Swati and Chaudhry.
A two-member bench comprising ECP members Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Mohammad Jatoi heard the case in Islamabad. The ECP officials stated that this is the second notice given to Swati.
Earlier, Swati has been sent two show-cause notices, one with Chaudhry and the other with Adviser to Prime Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan.
The ECP officials directed the issuance of show-cause notices to Chaudhry as well and adjourned the hearing against him till November 16.
It is pertinent to note that the hearing of the case against Swati was adjourned till November 16. However, no lawyer appeared before the ECP on behalf of Chaudhry.
In a tweet after Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a relief package, Bilawal said: “PM claims few families will benefit from 30 per cent discount for only 6 months on Ghee, Flour and lentils.”
30 per cent is too little, too late for 200 million people facing historic inflation, poverty and unemployment.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Khan announced a relief package of Rs 120 billion to provide essential commodities to 20 million families on subsidized rates.
Addressing the nation over the radio and television networks, he said this amount will be shared both by federal and provincial governments. PM Khan said under the package, three essential commodities including ghee, flour and pulses will be provided to the families on thirty percent discount rates.
Meanwhile, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman said the Prime Minister of Pakistan had given a bizarre speech where he claimed that all unprecedented inflation, tsunami of oil, gas prices, essentials is because of the past governments and international markets.
“Maybe he has forgotten that PPP faced higher global oil prices over $ 130 per barrel but local petrol was still half of today prices and the PKR still stood strong, while exports were the highest ever and wheat imports were no longer needed. The PM is clearly living in a parallel universe where he cannot see the pain inflected on the people of Pakistan by the prices that are rising by every other day and are becoming completely unsustainable for the whole country and not just the 2 crore people,” she commented.
It’s ironic, she said, “how the biggest welfare package in Pakistan’s history is targeted for 2 crore people when in fact the entire 24 crore population of this country needs relief. Inflation in the country cannot be controlled by giving interviews or doing talk shows. The PM has taken notice of the spiralling inflation at least 17 times but not even once has he shared an action plan. A solid economic recovery plan is the need of the hour.”
The lawmaker said if inflation was to controlled through giving subsides then sugar would not be sold for Rs120 per kg. It is easy to blame others to hide your own incompetence and this is something this government has been doing since they came in power. First it was the opposition, then it was the international market; is the high price of sugar also because of the fluctuations in the international markets? The prime minister must be talking about Banigala’s prosperity because life in this Naya Pakistan has become extremely difficult for people,” she said.
The Senator said in the last three years, the PKR has devalued by 43% against the USD, in 2018 it was at 123 and last month it reached 175.50. “When the government can’t scapegoat the opposition, they blame international commodity prices or COVID. PTI government cites oil prices to justify the devaluation of the PKR but International Oil prices were extremely high in the world during PPP’s time yet domestic oil prices were affordable. If we could manage, then why can’t this government? Why has PKR devalued by 14% since May,” she questioned.