ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar on Saturday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would not dare to hold another public gathering anywhere in the country after a flop show in Lahore which witnessed a minimal turn-out of the people.
Talking to the media, the minister said the PTI had miserably failed to galvanize the support of their workers for the public gathering in Lahore, despite the all-out facilitation by the administration which not only kept the roads completely open but also provided a foolproof security in the designated area.
No obstacle was placed in any city, including Islamabad, Attock, and Mianwali, from where the PTI had asked their workers to participate in the public gathering, he said, adding their leadership and workers were given free access to enter Lahore from across the country.
He said similarly, the PTI had failed to gather the people in their public gathering of Islamabad, which also saw the presence of a small number of the people.
The minister challenged the PTI leadership to release drone shots of their public gathering in Lahore, which exposed their support among the masses.
Tarar said this showed that the people of Pakistan had rejected them completely, showing full confidence in the governance of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who have been taking crucial steps to provide relief to the masses.
He said the people of Pakistan knew that the inflation had been reduced to a single digit, which, during the tenure of the PTI, reached a double digit from the four percent that was achieved under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.
The international financial institutions are acknowledging that the Pakistani economy was taking off, while Bloomberg identified Pakistan’s stock market as an emerging and best market in Asia, he said, adding Fitch and Moody had improved ratings for Pakistan as well.
He said there has been 14 per cent increase in exports, current account deficit was shrinking, and the policy rate was reduced to attract foreign investment. The progress of Pakistan under the leadership of PM Shehbaz had stunned the opposition which was hell-bent on creating a situation of chaos and anarchy in the country to halt the development process, he added.
The minister recalled the letters written by the PTI leadership to the International Monetary Fund against the bailout package to default the country.
Their all efforts, including public gatherings and press conferences, were aimed at getting the PTI founder released from jail, which is tantamount to an attempt for an NRO-like relief from the government, he said, adding due process of law would be followed in his cases such as May 9 mayhem and others.
He said the PTI leadership did not have any knowledge about their own narrative, resorting to abusive language and hollow threats. On the other hand, Punjab had kept its tradition of showing hospitality to them, providing them security and a place to hold a flop show.
The minister specifically condemned the language used by PTI leader Latif Khosa against the Chief Justice of Pakistan, demanding a notice against him for the contempt.
Tarar also criticized Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for his poor governance and asked him to compare his performance with CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz, who has been furthering the 10-year legacy of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the province.
Tarar said Punjab has been progressing by leaps and bounds under the leadership of Maryam Nawaz who has been setting new records by initiating new projects in health, education social, and IT sectors.
He said special subsidies have been given in Punjab and federation on the electricity to provide relief to the masses. On the other side, CM KPK had completely failed in politics, administration and governance of his province.
Highlighting the new projects started by CM Maryam, he said a cancer hospital was being established in Punjab, while bikes were being given to women and new IT interventions had been introduced to empower the people of Punjab.
He asked CM KPK Gandapur as to why he failed to establish a single university, hospital or dam in the province. The CM KPK should follow her steps as the people of KPK deserved progress and prosperity, he added.
The minister highlighted the bad governance and poor administration in KPK where corruption is rampant, and institutions have been destroyed, adding to the problems of the people. He asked the CM KPK to serve the masses instead of hurling threats and abuses against the institutions.
