Fawad reiterates demand for Sindh CM’s resignation despite SC drubbing

Information minister asks how Bilawal can topple govt when even his father had failed to achieve the same

[fbvideo link="https://www.facebook.com/etribune/videos/2148968885419308/"][/fbvideo]

Despite the top court’s annoyance over the issue, Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Monday once again demanded that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah should resign after his name appeared in a JIT report over fake bank accounts.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, he said how Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari can topple the PTI government when even his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari had failed to achieve that in the past, Express News reported.



The PPP chairman, earlier in the day, had claimed that his party could topple the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan within seconds if his father, PPP co-chairman Zardari permitted.

Hitting hard on the incumbent government over the federal cabinet’s decision to place JIT-accused persons in fake accounts case on exit control list, Bilawal laughed off PTI’s attempt to oust the Sindh CM Shah and impose governor rule in the province.

The verbal attacks from the two sides came after the Supreme Court directed the federal cabinet earlier today to reconsider the list of 172 individuals – named in the JIT report – who were placed on the ECL. Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had expressed displeasure over the act as the court resumed the hearing of the fake accounts case.



Justice Nisar had summoned Minister for State for Interior Shehryar Afridi after the attorney general failed to give a satisfactory answer and also sought the approved summary by the cabinet regarding the ECL list.

The bench has given Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur one week to submit a reply over the JIT report.

Pakistan Peoples Party’ top leadership including Zardari, Bilawal, Faryal Talpur, and Sindh CM Shah are among those placed on the no-fly list as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) continues its probe in the Rs42 billion money laundering scandal.

In today's press conference, Fawad Chaudhry said that two PTI ministers had resigned after inquiries were launched in light of allegations on them, adding that the Sindh chief minister should also tender his resignation in principle.

The minister reiterated that a few members of Sindh Assembly belonging to PPP were in contact with him, hinting emergence of a forward bloc in the provincial ruling party. “PPP MPAs have contacted me over telephone. Therefore, [CM] Murad Ali Shah should himself tender his resignation, otherwise the assembly will do the needful.”



He, however, tried to dispel the impression that his party’s government at the Centre was striving to oust the PPP government in Sindh. Calling these reports as baseless, Chaudhry said that his party never claimed that they were trying to impose a governor rule in the province.

It may be mentioned that the information minister had ‘postponed’ his planned visit to Sindh today after the apex court hearing went against the PTI government’s stance on ongoing investigations of fake bank accounts case.

Fawad Chaudhry was expected to meet opposition leaders Pir Pagara, Liaquat Jatoi, Zulfiqar Mirza, Fehmida Mirza and Ayaz Palejo among others during his scheduled visit to Karachi, Badin, Sukkur and Larkana in Sindh today.