NewsFebruary 10, 2019
Dharna worked wonders: Fawad
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said the 2014 dharna (sit-in) was a miracle in the country’s political history and those terming it negative politics were bereft of political insight.
Addressing the launching ceremony of “Imran Khan and Naya Pakistan” written by journalist and anchor Aliya Shah, he said the dharna had conveyed the message of a Naya Pakistan to the middle class and youth and given them new hope.“Imran Khan surely gave a new hope otherwise the two-party system would have been exploiting the people,” he opined. He said the two previous governments had ruined the economy and the country was subjected to loot and plunder. He said the PTI sit-in had sidelined Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari throwing them into political oblivion.
He regretted that the PTI government could not give immediate relief to the middle class due to budgetary constraints resulting from the loot and plunder of the previous governments. He said the 126-day dharna of PTI in 2014 and 2018 general election proved to be a turning point in the country’s political landscape.
“The political movements of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Imran Khan have played an important role in national politics. Our movement was basically a middle class revolution, as due to corruption and mis-governance of past over 30 years, the middle class and youth were badly affected. Imran Khan’s message is equality before the law, elimination of corruption, improving the governance,” he said.
About the government’s future strategy, he said it had taken remedial steps and measures to revive the economy. Citing the loot and plunder of the previous government, Fawad said $3 billion was spent on the Orange Train project whereas the total estimated coast of dualisation of railway track from Peshawar to Karachi was $6 billion.
The minister said Sindh’s total development budget was Rs2,000 billion out of which Rs700 billion was reportedly sent abroad through fake accounts. He said funds allocated for recruitment of over 60,000 teachers and provision of clean drinking water in the Punjab were shifted to the Orange Train project.
Referring to a report by The News correspondent Zahid Gishkori, he said it was sad to note that a person who stole 15 hens was in jail for one year and his bail could not be secured, while another person who stole Rs1,500 billion became the Public Accounts Committee chairman. The minister said Shahbaz Sharif travelled with six vehicles, showing the difference between the rich and the poor. “This is our justice system,” he added.
Fawad noted that a father and his daughter involved in sending Rs300 bn abroad had got bail within four months which was failure of the system. He made it clear that it would be wrong to construe that the system would be fine a day after Imran Khan became the prime minister.
“There are issues in bureaucracy. With the change of government, the system can’t be changed. Imran with his towering personality has completed the first phase by formation of government and now the next phase is to change the system, which will be materialised collectively,” he noted.
About the book, he said it had beautifully captured the events relating to Naya Pakistan movement launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Other speakers included renowned columnist Mazhar Barlas, poet and writer Dr Sughra Sadaf, former secretary Election Commission Kanwar Dilshad, Aalia Shah, President National Pres Club Shakil Qarar and Dr Murtaza, Secretary General Pakistan Canada Friendship Association.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
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