‘Imran needs to help flood survivors, avoid politics at this difficult time’

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday advised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan to help the flood-affected people instead of “playing politics” at this testing time.

Speaking at a news conference, she also accused the former premier of destroying the country’s economy during his four years in government.

She said that Imran Khan is in power in two provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that the PTI chief needs to help the flood victims and avoid “politicking”.

“This is not the time for politics, it is time to help people; when the time comes, we will do politics…. Today, people need our services, it is not an appropriate time for politics,” she added.

She maintained that those who the PTI chairman used to brand as robbers are serving the flood victims and he, instead of joining the relief efforts, is “playing politics”.

She also responded to the allegations levelled by the PTI chairman against the PML-N leadership, adding that he failed to prove the allegations in four years and now he should put a stop to such allegations.

She also criticised the PTI leadership for the recent letter sent by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa finance minister to International Monitory Fund (IMF). “He [Imran Khan] must respond whether writing the letter to the IMF was not an anti-national move?” she asked.

She also mocked Imran Khan for his earlier statement in the day in which he stated that he is “becoming more and more dangerous”, adding that it was a breaking news that Khan sahib is becoming more dangerous.

“We have also been saying that Imran Khan is more and more dangerous for this country,” the minister further maintained. She added that intimidations and abuses of the bureaucracy are Imran Khan’s old tactics.

About the relief activities, she added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the flood-affected areas, adding that the situation on the ground is very disturbing.

She said that about 1,200 people died due to floods while 4,000 were injured, adding that 400 children are among the dead.

She added that the prime minister gave a grant of Rs15 billion for Sindh, Rs10 billion to Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa each.

She added that Rs25,000 per family is being given to the flood-affected people through the BISP. She added that Rs15 billion have been distributed in 0.6 million families, so far, while the government is also giving a special incentive package for the students of the flood-affected areas.

She said that the prime minister has issued instructions for the immediate restoration of flood-affected infrastructure.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022