Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Osama Bin Laden is a thing of the past, my focus is on the present and future’: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    ‘Osama Bin Laden is a thing of the past, my focus is on the present and future’: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday appeared on Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath” and said that former Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden (OBL) “is a thing of the past and my focus is on the present and the future”.

    Qureshi was asked once more about why it is that he, along with Prime Minister Imran Khan, avoid clarifying whether OBL is a martyr or terrorist.

    “Osama Bin Laden is a thing of the past. I am not concerned with the past. You are lost in the past. My focus is on the present and the future,” said Qureshi.

    Khanzada explained that he was asking for clarity because Pakistan paid a huge price for confusion in the past when it was said that there is a “dual policy with sympathy for terrorists”.

    “I wish to bring you out of the past,” Qureshi said, in response. “My friend, I wish to bring you out of the past. And I tell you, you must think about the future. That future will impact Pakistan, it’s economy and its society. We are absolutely clear on this. We are against terrorism.”

    Qureshi further added that PM Khan takes inspiration from the country’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

    Qureshi was also asked why Pakistan is giving confused statements, when in the backdrop of the US defence secretary’s words about Afghanistan’s soil being used against the US by Daesh or Al-Qaeda in two years’ time, such remarks could come back to haunt us.

    To this Qureshi said: “No, no, no, no. We have great clarity on this. We will never want Afghan or Pakistan soil to be used against a third country, let alone America. I would never want it to be even used against any of our neighbours. Not at all.”

    “We have great clarity. We do not and never will support terrorist organisations and will never want for them to gain such power or importance that they become capable of striking the mainland, some other country, or some coalition partner who have done so much for Afghanistan,” added Qureshi.

    “We will have to admit one thing. The coalition there invested a great deal [in society]. They have invested billions of dollars, established institutions, promoted education, taught them governance. Who will want them to come under attack?” he said.

    In an interview with Afghanistan’s Tolo News, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi skipped a question when asked if Osama bin Laden was a martyr. Qureshi paused for a few seconds and then said, “I will let that pass.”

  • Three dead, 23 injured in blast at Lahore’s Johar Town

    Three dead, 23 injured in blast at Lahore’s Johar Town

    At least three people were killed, while around 23 others sustained injuries in a blast in Johar Town, Lahore. The explosion took place in a residential area near Allah Hu Boulevard, police said.

    https://twitter.com/GeopolUpdates/status/1407616749927747587

    Lahore Deputy Commissioner Mudassir Riaz Malik said while it was not immediately clear what had caused the blast, it had left behind a crater. “We will only be able to determine the cause after carrying out an investigation,” he said, adding that the area was being cordoned off.

    Inspector General (IG) Punjab Police has said that the Johar Town blast was a terrorist attack and as per the initial investigation the enforcement/police agencies may have been the target.

    https://twitter.com/GeopolUpdates/status/1407615496355082243

    According to reports, rescue, police, and bomb disposal teams have reached the site of the incident, while witnesses said that the glass windows of nearby houses and buildings have been shattered. One of the buildings has been severely damaged and some vehicles parked at the site of the blast have also been affected.

    An emergency has been declared in Jinnah Hospital to treat the injured, while Rescue 1122 and other relief organisations have been asked to expedite rescue activities.

    Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has taken notice of the blast, and directed the IG to investigate the incident and submit a report.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid also took notice and directed the Punjab chief secretary and IG to submit a report. He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

  • ‘The liberal brigade is misrepresenting facts’: PTI MNAs defend PM Khan’s comments on rape

    ‘The liberal brigade is misrepresenting facts’: PTI MNAs defend PM Khan’s comments on rape

    Female leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday defended Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on sexual violence and temptation. Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul, Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Ali Bokhari and MNA Kanwal Shauzab held a press conference and came out in support of PM Khan and called out the “liberal brigade” for misrepresenting facts.

    Gul claimed that the premier was a “symbol of women empowerment”.

    “For the first time in Pakistan, five women ministers are sitting in the federal cabinet. This means that if there is a symbol of women empowerment in Pakistan, it is Prime Minister Imran,” Gul said.

    Gul added, “My culture has given me respect, Islam has taught me modesty. Do not try to distort the things said in the Holy Quran.”

    Bokhari said that she was proud to be a member of parliament under the leadership of “a man who prioritised the protection of women and children”.

    “You can’t distort a question and determine whether or not the premier cares about protecting women and children. You need to see what the government has done,” she said pointing to the establishment of special courts for deciding rape cases and anti-rape crisis cells at hospitals.

    “The Prime Minister has set aside Rs100 million in the budget for implementation of the anti-rape law,” Bokhari added.

    “We are strong women and we have been strengthened by our leader Imran Khan,” Bokhari said.

    “Under PM Imran’s leadership, the two-finger test was abolished,” Bokhari said. “Because we realise the difficulties that women have to face, we ensured that they get their inheritance rights. No other premier has called for such a law,” she said.

    MNA Kanwal Shauzab reiterated that PM Khan had empowered women in true sense.

    Quoting a verse from the Holy Quran, which she said was the essence of the prime minister’s statement, she remarked that those contesting the premier’s statement were actually contesting Allah.

    Shauzab, meanwhile, believes that if you are among those who are “fighting” against the premier’s statement in his HBO interview, then you are “disagreeing with the orders of Allah”.

    She said PM Khan explained the commands of Allah regarding women.

    “We are proud to live in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Shauzab said, adding that our society does not accept obscenity.

    Earlier in the day, another PTI MNA, Aliya Hamza Malik, too, spoke in support of the premier. In an appearance on Geo Pakistan on Tuesday, Malik urged “liberals” to listen to the premier’s statement before critiquing it.

    She said the premier made a comparison between the East and the West when speaking about rape cases.

    PM Khan has made strict laws for abusers, she said, adding that the state is fulfilling its responsibility and it is our job to make strict legislation.

  • Pak ready to partner for peace in Afghanistan, we will not host US bases: PM for WaPo

    Pak ready to partner for peace in Afghanistan, we will not host US bases: PM for WaPo

     Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an opinion piece for The Washington Post, wrote that Pakistan is ready to be a US partner for peace in Afghanistan, but will not host US bases and avoid risking further conflict.

    “We simply cannot afford this. We have already paid too heavy a price. Meanwhile, if the US, with the most powerful military machine in history, couldn’t win the war from inside Afghanistan after 20 years, how would America do it from bases in our country?”

    He added that Pakistan was ready to be a partner for peace in Afghanistan with the US. “But as US troops withdraw, we will avoid risking further conflict,” wrote PM Khan.

    He said that Pakistan and the US have the same interest in that long-suffering country: a political settlement, stability, economic development and the denial of any haven for terrorists.

    “We oppose any military takeover of Afghanistan, which will lead only to decades of civil war, as the Taliban cannot win over the whole of the country, and yet must be included in any government for it to succeed.”

    Highlighting how Pakistan has suffered from the wars in Afghanistan, PM Khan wrote, “More than 70,000 Pakistanis have been killed. While the US provided $20 billion in aid, losses to the Pakistani economy have exceeded $150 billion.”

    “After joining the US effort, Pakistan was targeted as a collaborator, leading to terrorism against our country from the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other groups. US drone attacks, which I warned against, didn’t win the war, but they did create hatred for Americans, swelling the ranks of terrorist groups against both our countries,” wrote the premier.

    Arguing against giving military bases to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for action inside Afghanistan, he said if the United States, with the most powerful military machine in history, couldn’t win the war from inside Afghanistan after 20 years, how would America do it from the bases in Pakistan?

    The prime minister also mentioned the benefits the region would get after peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s desire for increased trade and connectivity with Central Asia for an economic uplift.

    “This is why we have done a lot of real diplomatic heavy lifting to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, first with the Americans, and then with the Afghan government,” PM Khan wrote, highlighting Pakistan’s efforts for peace.

    “We know that if the Taliban tries to declare a military victory, it will lead to endless bloodshed. We hope the Afghan government will also show more flexibility in the talks, and stop blaming Pakistan, as we are doing everything we can short of military action.”

    The premier concluded by saying that promoting economic connectivity and regional trade was the key to lasting peace and security in Afghanistan, adding that further military action was “futile”.

    “If we share this responsibility, Afghanistan, once synonymous with the ‘Great Game’ and regional rivalries, could instead emerge as a model of regional cooperation.”

  • PM Khan stop victim-blaming, says Pakistani Twitterati

    PM Khan stop victim-blaming, says Pakistani Twitterati

    Prime minister Imran Khan (IK) in a recent interview with “Axios on HBO” with Jonathan Swan (JS), talked about his views on “rape” and “temptation”.

    The primer’s words have hurt the sentiments of many in the country.

    Here is a transcript of the part of his interview that concerns rape and his views on “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men, unless they are robots.”

    JS: You were asked about the epidemic of sexual violence and rape in Pakistan and you acknowledged the seriousness of the problem and you spoke about Pakistan’s strict laws. You were also quoted as saying that the practice of women wearing veils “is to stop temptation not every man has willpower”. You said on increasing vulgarity, will have consequences, and you were accused of rape victim-blaming. How do you respond to that?

    IK: It is such nonsense. I never said veils, this was never said. I said the concept of purdah and the concept of purdah is to avoid temptation in society. We don’t have discos here, we don’t have nightclubs, so it is a completely different society, way of life here, so if you raise temptation in society to the point and all these young guys have nowhere to go, it has consequences in the society.

    JS: Do you think what women wear has any effect? That this is part of that temptation?

    IK: If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men unless they’re robots. I mean it’s common sense.

    JS: But will it really provoke acts of sexual violence?

    IK: It depends on which society you live in. If in a society where people haven’t seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them. If you grow up in a society like you, maybe it won’t on you. This cultural imperialism, whatever is in our culture, must be acceptable to everyone else, it’s not.

    JS: Forgive me, when you were a cricket star, you were seen as a playboy, there were photos of you with your shirts off in your bedroom.

    IK: This is not about me.

    JS: You’re the messenger.

    IK: It’s about my society. My priority is how my society behaves, what reactions are caused in my society. So when I see sex crimes going through the roof, we sit down and discuss how are we going to tackle this. It is having an impact on my society.

    However, the premier’s comments caused an uproar on social media, prompting Pakistanis to call him out for his insensitive remarks.

    This isn’t the first time PM Imran was heard expressing his views on rape.

    Journalist Shahmir Sanni didn’t see the PM’s justification as legit. “Nearly every woman that has been raped in Pakistan has worn what he would prescribe as modest clothing,” he wrote.

    https://twitter.com/shahmiruk/status/1406901725634600962

    Mosharraf Zaidi spelled it out for everyone.

    So, what is the country saying about the PM? That perhaps he doesn’t understand what cultural imperialism is.

    https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1406904010422980610

    Or he [PM Khan] doesn’t realise that out of control men are the problem.

    He’s [Imran Khan] a rape apologist who hates women.

    Disappointed and frankly sickening to see PM Khan repeat his victim blaming regarding reasons for sexual violence in Pakistan.

    People say we’re paying the price for his own guilt.

    Why aren’t men offended?

    The loud and persistent outcry from many people came out on Twitter yet again. Some shared their own personal experiences to make it more clear that why rape happens and why it is never okay to blame the victim.

    As #RapeApologistSelectedPM trends on Twitter, the question remains, “Is our Prime Minister listening to the public’s grief? When will he stop with the victim-blaming and giving rapists a free pass? When?”

  • Fawad says anyone who kills innocents is a terrorist after FM Qureshi skips question on OBL

    Fawad says anyone who kills innocents is a terrorist after FM Qureshi skips question on OBL

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted on Monday that there is no confusion at any level regarding anyone who kills innocents. “That is terrorism and the perpetrators are terrorists. We have suffered pain of terrorism in our own land and can understand pain of all who have lost their loved ones in these cowardly attacks.”

    In an interview with Afghanistan’s Tolo News, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi skipped a question when asked if Osama bin Laden was a martyr. Qureshi paused for a few seconds and then said, “I will let that pass.”

    Senior Afghan journalist Lotfullah Najafizada had originally asked Qureshi about Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan calling Osama bin Laden a martyr. The foreign minister responded that the PM was quoted out of context. “Out of context. He was quoted out of context. And, a particular section of the media played it up.”

    Qureshi is being criticised for skipping this question and not taking a clear position.

    Last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan came under fire for calling al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a “martyr” during his speech in the National Assembly.

  • ‘If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men, unless they are robots,’ says PM Khan

    In an interview with “Axios on HBO” with Jonathan Swan, which aired at 3am PST on Monday morning, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that “if a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots”.

    Prime Minister Khan discussed various issues in his interview with Axios’ Swan ranging from US withdrawal from Afghanistan to Pak-US relationship, Uyghur Muslims in China and sexual violence in Pakistan.

    Rape and sexual violence

    Swan asked PM Khan about his previous comments pertaining to rape and vulgarity, PM said that it is “such nonsense”.

    “I said that the concept of purdah is avoid temptation in the society. We don’t have discos here, we don’t have night clubs, so it is a completely different society, way of life here. So if you raise temptation in the society to the point and all these young guys have nowhere to go, it has consequences in the society.”

    Swan asked: “Do you think that what women wear has any affect, that that’s part of this temptation?”

    “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. I mean it’s common sense,” replied PM.

    Swan asked if this would provoke acts of sexual violence, to which PM Khan responded, “It depends which society you live in. If in a society, people haven’t seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them. If you grow up in a society like you, maybe it won’t on you. This cultural imperialism, whatever is in our culture must be acceptable to everyone else. It’s not.”

    “Jonathan, it’s about my society. My priority is how my society behaves, what reactions are caused in my society so when I see sex crime going through the roof, we sit down, we discuss how we are going to tackle this. It is having an impact in my society. We have to do something about it.”

    US withdrawal from Afghanistan

    Axios’ Swan asked PM Khan if he was happy that the US military is finally withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years. PM said, “Happy in one way because there was never going to be a military solution in Afghanistan. Anxious that they [the US] are leaving without a political settlement, there is a possibility of civil war.” When asked what would a political settlement look like, PM said that a political settlement in Afghanistan “would mean a sort of a coalition government, a government from the Taliban side and the other side. There is no other solution”.

    Swan asked if PM Khan thinks the Americans made a mistake by saying they are getting out by September 11. The PM said they got themselves in such a big mess that they had to give some sort of timeframe. “But the moment they gave a timeframe, Taliban would have considered that a victory.” PM was asked how he felt about the prospect of the Taliban effectively controlling Afghanistan and if he is happy to welcome them into the community of nations. “As far as Pakistan is concerned, whoever represents the people of Afghanistan, we will deal with them.”

    Swan asked what if they were not democratically elected and does it not concern you on some level that this group of people is accumulating power right next door to you. PM Imran Khan said, “Look, I am not a spokesman for Taliban. For me to say, you know what they are doing or what they shouldn’t be doing is pointless. In case Taliban go for an all-out victory, there is going to be incredible amount of bloodshed. And let me tell you, the country that is going to suffer the most after Afghanistan is going to be Pakistan. We already have three million Afghan refugees here. And this could lead to another exodus so that is our biggest concern. The Americans, before they leave, there must be a settlement.”

    Relationship with the United States

    Swan asked PM Imran Khan why the American CIA Director Bill Burns made an unannounced visit to Islamabad. “Ever since 9/11, there’s constantly been in touch between our intelligence agencies.” PM Khan said he did not meet the CIA director but the head of ISI met him.

    Swan said that the Americans want to have their spies and special forces based in Pakistan to keep an eye on what is happening across the border. To a question if he will allow the American government to have CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross-border counterterrorism missions against al-Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban, PM Khan emphatically said, “Absolutely not.” The host interjected and asked: “Seriously?”

    “There is no way we will allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not. Pakistan suffered 70,000 casualties, more than any other country by joining the American war. We cannot afford any more military actions from our territory. We will be partners in peace, not in conflict,” added Khan.

    Swan said that the American military is discussing doing airstrikes potentially to support the Afghan forces against the Taliban. “Would you allow the American Airforce to use your air space for those airstrikes?”

    “We are not going to be part of any conflict anymore,” replied Khan.

    But you haven’t decided yet whether you will let them use your airspace, asked Swan again. PM Khan said this has not been discussed at all. “Why would the Americans be using bombing Afghanistan after it hasn’t worked for 20 years, why will it work again?”

    Kashmir resolution

    PM Khan said he has not spoken to US President Joe Biden since he took office. “Whenever he has time, he can speak to me. But at the moment, clearly he has other priorities.” When asked what would he say to Biden when he does meet him, PM said: “The US has a big responsibility as the most powerful nation in the world. Almost 1.4 billion people are living in the subcontinent. We are held hostage to one dispute in Kashmir. A disputed territory. According to the United Nations Security Council resolutions, there should have been a plebiscite for the people of Kashmir to decide about their own future. That has never taken place. It’s festering. If the Americans have the resolve, the will, it can be sorted out.”

    Nuclear weapons

    Prime Minister Khan that the purpose of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons “is not an offensive thing”. He said that any country that has a neighbour seven times the size as Pakistan has, “would be worried”. PM Khan said he is “completely against nuclear arms. I always have been”. Ever since the nuclear deterrence, Pakistan and India have not been to war despite three wars in the past. “We have border skirmishes but we have never faced war. The moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, I believe the two neighbours will live as civilised people. We will not need to have these nuclear deterrence.”

    Uyghur Muslims in China

    Swan asked PM Khan why he does not speak about Uyghurs in China when he is so vocal about Islamophobia in the west.

    “What our conversations have been with the Chinese, this is not the case according to them. Whatever issues we have with the Chinese, we speak to them behind closed doors. China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times. When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue so we respect the way they are,” said PM Khan. He also questioned why the people of Kashmir are ignored and how this is hypocrisy.

    “Am I going to start talking about everything? I concentrate on what is happening on my border, in my country…that concerns me more.”

  • ‘Pakistan will absolutely not allow CIA to use bases for Afghanistan Operations’: PM Khan

    ‘Pakistan will absolutely not allow CIA to use bases for Afghanistan Operations’: PM Khan

    Pakistan will “absolutely not” allow the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use bases on its soil for cross-border counter-terrorism missions after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan said, Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    In an interview with Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios, which will be aired Monday at 3:00 am PST, the premier reiterated Pakistan’s stance on the use of military bases and categorically stated that Islamabad will not allow it.

    The US is in talks with Pakistan and other regional countries for cooperation in future operations in the war-torn country to keep a check on militancy.

    The prime minister was again asked by the US media for his comments on giving access to the CIA to military bases.

    “Will you allow the American government to have the CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross border counter-terrorism missions against Al Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban?” Swan asked the premier.

    “Absolutely not,” PM Khan responded.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said earlier that Pakistan wants a stable Afghanistan, but there are some elements who do not want peace in the region.

    The FM had categorically stated that Pakistan has refused to give military bases to the US and added that he had told all the political parties in a briefing that they have no such intention.

    “Search for bases could be their wish. There’s no question of giving them bases, we have to see our interest.”

  • Opposition lawmakers and their supporters block access to the Balochistan Assembly

    Opposition lawmakers and their supporters block access to the Balochistan Assembly

    Chaotic scenes erupted outside Balochistan Assembly Friday as Opposition lawmakers and supporters held a protest outside the assembly and were baton-charged by the police.

    https://twitter.com/HoorainPervaiz/status/1405877399326117889

    Police said Opposition lawmakers had locked all four doors of the Balochistan Assembly to prevent the budget session from taking place today.

    The Opposition’s protest and clashes intensified when Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan arrived at the assembly.

    “We will not let the budget be passed until our demands are met,” the protesting lawmakers said.

    The sit-in has been staged against the “disregard for Opposition constituencies and release of funds to unelected persons”.

    Clashes erupted when police arrived at the assembly gate at the MPA Hostel when Opposition lawmakers and police exchanged heated words. Police managed to open the doors of the assembly so that the government lawmakers could enter for the budget session.

    Prior to this, supporters of the Opposition parties had blocked national highways in several cities of Balochistan. The Opposition accused the government of ignoring development projects in the budget.

    Opposition lawmakers had warned they would not let the provincial government present the budget on Friday.

    Leaders of the Opposition parties, according to Dawn, said they would not allow any MPA to enter the assembly on Friday if their proposed development projects were not included in the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP). 

  • Bilawal congratulates PM for increasing the population of donkeys in the country

    Bilawal congratulates PM for increasing the population of donkeys in the country

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticised the government on Friday saying that as per the economic survey 2021, if nothing else, the population of donkeys has increased during the regime of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the country, for which Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policies must be lauded. 

    Addressing the National Assembly (NA) a day after Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif delivered his budget speech, Bilawal slammed the government for presenting a budget that was a “pack of lies”.

    PPP chairperson reprimanded the government for abandoning the country’s population during these unprecedented times, saying that the ruling PTI could never realise the problems of a common man.

    Bilawal went on to add that people, who were suffering because of the inflation brought on by Khan’s government, were well aware that the claim of four per cent economic growth was nothing but a lie.

    He added that the nation might still have forgiven the government had they not “abandoned the people so ruthlessly amid these difficult times”.

    “We introduced the revolutionary Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) but this government, on the other hand, persistently talks about the Ehsaas [programme], when you have no realistion [of the people’s predicament].”

    He said that people will never forgive the government for further pushing them below the poverty line.

    Bilawal said that if the country has seen economic growth, as claimed by the PTI-led government, then why does it have to “beg before the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?”

    “If the economy has significantly improved, then the government should immediately opt out of the IMF’s deal,” he said.

    Pointing out that the PPP had increased salaries multiple times and raised pensions, he said the PTI had not raised salaries in the last two years even though the entire world was struggling in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and every Pakistani was facing financial troubles.

    The PPP chairperson recalled that the PTI had reached an agreement with government workers on raising their salaries, adding that the insufficient hike in their salaries was an act of deception by the government.

    As Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar began his speech in response to Bilawal’s criticism, Shehbaz began making his way out of the assembly, prompting the minister to challenge him to stay and hear him out.

    “If you are not cowards then remain in your seats and listen to what I have to say,” said Azhar.

    “If you have the strength to hear the truth, then listen to what I have to say,” Azhar said but the PML-N president did not react and exited the house.

    https://twitter.com/trendinpk/status/1405788144121921538

    Azhar began his speech by hitting back at Bilawal, saying, “Those who have never worked a day in their life or taken any responsibility are telling us how to run the economy and the country.”

    Mocking the way Bilawal kept switching between English and Urdu during his speech, Hammad Azhar implied that oratory skills are not enough to remove the stains of corruption from someone’s character.

    “They said to us that this is a government of ‘puppets’. Do they want a government of convicts? Do they want a government in which people are known not by their names but by the dirtiest scandals in the history of this country?”

    He said that the PTI had come into power after being elected, adding that it had not “threatened or bribed its way into government”.

    Azhar said some people in the Opposition say that despite corruption, there is also progressive work being done. “If corruption had anything to do with development, Sindh would have progressed beyond California.”

    If someone wants to see the destruction that corruption brings, then go and look at the state of Sindh, the minister said. “You will see how corrupt rulers ruin the lives and the futures of people. Sindh is a living example of this.”