CM accuses opposition of double standards

Says demand of overseas Pakistanis fulfilled through voting right

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that the opposition parties have shown their double standards by opposing the right to vote of overseas Pakistanis.

Speaking to a delegation led by Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab Vice Chairman Makhdoom Tariq Mahmoodul Hassan, the chief minister said the government had fulfilled a longstanding demand of the expatriates by awarding them the voting right.

He said previous governments had ignored the issue and befooled Pakistanis living abroad with hollow slogans.

He termed overseas Pakistanis ambassadors of the country and said their role in strengthening the national economy could not be overlooked. A comprehensive policy has been formulated to solve the problems of overseas Pakistanis. The chief minister said the Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab had been made a vibrant organisation.

The members of the delegation thanked the chief minister for taking personal interest and concrete measures for redressing the problems of overseas Pakistanis.

As per an official statement, Chief Minister Buzdar condemned a terrorist attack on a check post in the Datta Khail area of North Waziristan. He paid homage to the sacrifice of two security personnel who embraced martyrdom in the attack.

He said the nation would never forget the sacrifices of martyrs and a handful of assailants could not shake the determination of the nation.

Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesperson Hasaan Khawar said while addressing a media training workshop for female students of various educational institutions that the perpetrators of "audio and video leaks" had always been afraid to approach the courts because their sole agenda was to hide their own malpractices behind such brouhaha, pressure the institutions and tarnish national honour without compunction. The PTI had exposed these backstage characters in front of the nation, he added.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2021.