PPP doing politics on rain devastation: minister

Murad Saeed says funds for the province are not meant for ‘fake accounts’

ISLAMABAD:

Communication Minister Murad Saeed accused the opposition on Wednesday of playing politics on the devastation cause the recent rains and floods in order to divert the public attention away from the important issues.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said that catastrophic rains wreaked havoc across Sindh, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the province last weekend and took revolutionary decisions for the development of Karachi.

“Karachi has become a heap of garbage,” he said, adding that the situation in the Karachi did not deteriorate in one day but over years for which the PPP’s bad governance was responsible. “We have purged the city of a lot of garbage and the Sindh government's mess will also be cleaned soon.”

The minister said that catastrophic rains wreaked havoc across Sindh, including Karachi. “We can't leave Karachi at the mercy of the Sindh government. Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Sindh and took revolutionary steps and decisions for the development of Karachi,” he added.

He said that the prime minister announced a historic development package for Karachi and because of the policies of Imran, the PPP and other opposition parties were in trouble. “The PPP leadership politicised the problems of Karachi,” he added.

“Bilawal Bhutto Zardari disappeared when it rained in Karachi. [But] the prime minister paid special attention to solve the problems of Karachi. Now, no one can stop the development of Karachi. This is not a favour, Karachi deserves better.”

In a scathing attack on the PPP, the minister said that the Sindh government instead of taking protective measures in the wake of rains, started asking for money. However, he added that the funds provided by the federal government to the province were not meant for “fake accounts”.

He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the worst affected by the recent rains but all roads and power infrastructure had been restored in the province, while compensation was also paid to those who suffered losses.

Responding to a question, Murad Saeed said that the PPP did politics on the coronavirus pandemic but failed. “The prime minister’s priority is the poor and wage earner,” the minister said about the government handling of the disease.

In response to another question, he said that the opposition raised hue and cry that if Nawaz Sharif was allowed to leave the country, his life would be endangered. “Thankfully, he is healthy and fit now,” he added.