Kaptaan Imran Khan should take charge of helping rain affectees, Bilawal says in Mirpurkhas

 

PPP Chairman Bilawal Butto-Zardari on Wednesday urged the federal and Prime Minister Imran Khan to "come and sit" with the people of the province who are suffering from the recent flooding and torrential rainfall rather than making "five-hour trips".

Addressing a news conference in Mirpurkhas, where many thousands are displaced thanks to monsoon rainfall, Bilawal said: "The prime minister should be seen standing with those citizens suffering from the rains."

His comments come each day after the federal cabinet decided against releasing funds on to the provincial government for the victims of the flood and rain-hit areas. The federal , instead, will utilise the funds itself. “We cannot give even a penny to Sindh for the flood victims unless we are told about the precise losses,” Information Minister Shibli Faraz had said during a news conference after the cupboard meeting.

Bilawal, speaking in Mirpurkhas, urged the premier to require charge as kaptaan by fulfilling the necessity for reconstruction, rehabilitation and relief. "We can't leave our farmers and people suffering from the rains helpless like this."

Bilawal stated that recent rains have wreaked havoc in several parts of the country. "In Sindh, rainfall and floods have affected 2.25 million citizens. All of Pakistan will got to unite to affect this national disaster in order that we will provide relief to the people."

He added that the recent rains and subsequent floods wasn't the sole crises the state has had to affect . "The poor people of the province and of the country are struggling under the mounting burden on their backs," he said, citing the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and locusts.

He added that due to these "historic rains", extra support needed to tend to the people. "Agriculture is that the backbone of the economy. When agriculture is affected, so is that the country's economy.

"The PTI's manifesto mentions declaring an agricultural emergency which has not been done thus far . After this historic rainfall and locust attacks, now's the time to declare an agricultural emergency to supply relief to farmers."

He added that the provincial government was utilising all of its resources to deal with the issues being faced by the people. "We have exhausted our stock of tents. We are ordering more, but we all know that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will have some."

Those sitting in Islamabad, who can't pinpoint Mirpurkhas on a map, don't understand that it'll take time to filter out the rainwater, he said. During this point , you've got to supply aid to the people, he said.

"All folks will need to become one to supply help to those affected," he said. "The Sindh government will stand by its people in need, but we'll not be ready to fulfill their requirements on our own. For that, all of Pakistan will got to become one."

The prime minister had visited Karachi last week and within the presence of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, unveiled the Rs1.1 trillion package at the Governor House for Karachi’s chronic issues, including provision of unpolluted beverage , cleaning of drains and sewage and solid waste disposal within three years.

'Selective accountability'

Changing gears, Bilawal also commented on cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former president and his father Asif Ali Zardari.

"Not only are these cases politically motivated, but they're a joke." He added that the country's laws applied differently to those within the ruling PTI and people within the opposition.

Commenting on the recent reports on the assets of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, Bilawal stated that if former heads of state had to offer a solution , then so should the remainder .

Debate over Karachi funds 'useless': Asad Uma Also on Wednesday, federal Planning Minister Asad Umar termed as "useless" the talk over what proportion the federal and Sindh government will contribute towards the Rs1.1 trillion transformation plan for Karachi.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, the minister conceded that Sindh would be contributing Rs750 billion to the plan, but said Karachi was awaiting practical work on the bottom .He said both the PTI and PPP will get "beaten up" by Karachi's residents if all they are doing are press conferences to counter one another . "The politics will not work," he added.Responding to claims by the PPP leadership that several of the projects within the transformation plan were "old", Umar challenged them to point out the finished projects on the bottom .