Afghan situation can turn into humanitarian crisis: Fawad

ISLAMABAD:

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said the world should realise that the situation in Afghanistan could give rise to another humanitarian crisis and turning a blind eye to the war-torn country could worsen the crisis.

"We are keenly observing the situation in Afghanistan," Fawad said while speaking to the media in Karachi this afternoon.

"The world has to make decisions with sagacity, not by the use of force," he said adding, "Don't wait for the destruction of Afghanistan. I urge all countries to not leave the country alone."

Highlighting that the world was cognisant of Pakistan's efforts pertaining to the evacuations, he said, "The bigger problem at the moment is about filling the gap of leadership in Afghanistan."

"It is not up to Pakistan to form a government in Afghanistan; it is the Afghans who can elect a government."

He recalled that Pakistan had expressed its concerns about the neighbouring country beforehand. "If the world listened to Pakistan earlier, it wouldn't be in such a dismal state."

Also read Pakistan will continue promoting peace, stability in Afghanistan: FM Qureshi

"We still advise the global community to act on Pakistan's advice," the minister said adding, "We will provide all-out support to Kabul."

Economic uplift

Fawad further stated, "The government came to power in difficult circumstances, but Pakistan is now moving towards stability."

The country, he added, handled the Covid-19 pandemic well and further said that "the current account deficit is significantly better compared to what it was before."

"We paid attention to exports and lowered imports. Inflation saw a 27 per cent increase while income increased by 37 per cent. We provided an additional Rs1,100 billion to the farmers."

Fawad further stated that the foreign policy will improve further. "We put forth three-year performance before the masses and with it [Prime Minister] Imran Khan set a tradition."

He went on to add, "Did the chief minister Sindh put forth his performance before the public."

“Sindh government isn’t giving Sehat cards to the public.”

He reiterated that the provincial government received Rs1,900 billion in the past three years, and asked “where has that money gone.”

"They should either work themselves or let us do it. The basic development work cannot be done without [the coordination of] the provincial government.”

“What would the local government departments do if the chief minister kept all powers to himself," said Fawad and urged the Supreme Court to revoke Article 140 [in the province]. “PPP will be eliminated in Sindh.”
 
Opposition’s politics

Turning his guns towards the opposition, Fawad said, “PPP and PML-N have turned into regional political parties. Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto have done nothing in their lives.”

“Neither of them ever gave a policy direction on any issue. “ The fact is, he added, the opposition doesn’t have a clear policy.

“Shehbaz Sharif should first decide as to who will lead the party.” The also minister reiterated that Nawaz Sharif will have to be answerable to the public. “He should return to Pakistan and return the country’s money.”