Monday, June 8, 2020
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari exhorts Sindh to work-out poor-friendly budget by prioritizing health, agriculture sectors & poverty reduction
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stressed for assigning priorities to
health and agriculture sectors in the next provincial budget 2020-21 as fighting coronavirus and locust attacks shall be the top-most agenda to save human lives and avert famine and food insecurity.
During a briefing through video-conference by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Coordinator to Chief Minister for Social Protection Haris Gazdar, Chairman Planning & Development Waseem Ahmed and Secrteray Finance Syed Hassan Naqvi, the PPP Chairman said that Sindh has to prepare a poor-friendly budget within the available resources to cater to the needs of the people in an era or multiple crises.
Chief Minister and his team apprised the Chairman about the additional allocations for COVID-19 response schemes, social protection and poverty reduction programmes so that repercussions of COVID-19 and the locust attacks could be mitigated.
Murad Ali Shah also informed the Party Chairman that Sindh government plans to extend subsidies to the small farmers on export quality rice seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to compensate the agriculture sector in the wake of locust attack.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pointed out that the issue of reduction of Federal transfers harmed the Provincial strategies during the current financial year as the province received Rs229 billion less than its share of Rs 835 billion by the PTI’s Federal government. “This is a great injustice to Sindh and other provinces,” he added.
PPP Chairman asked Chief Minister and his team to formulate a pro-people and pro-poor budget within the meager resources and receipts due to the COVID-19, locust attacks and the negligence-cum-incompetence of the Federal government.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/07/chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-exhorts-sindh-to-work-out-poor-friendly-budget-by-prioritizing-health-agriculture-sectors-poverty-reduction/
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accuses PTI of creating conditions for chaos across the country by engineering an artificial fuel shortage, demands immediate restoration of supply
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari blamed the PTI’s Federal government and individuals running it’s policies for the fuel crisis, which has engulfed the country and threatens chaos if it lingers on.
In a statement issued here, the PPP Chairman said that incompetence and bad governance by the PTI regime was leading the country into a quagmire. After failure to follow a uniformed policy of preventing the onslaught of the coronavirus and mismanaging the response to the locust attack, the PTI government has once again proven that they serve the vested interests of their crony capitalist friends at the cost of the lives of hundreds of millions of ordinary Pakistanis, he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the shortage of petroleum at outlets has been artificially created and it would come as no surprise if even this fuel scarcity turns out to be another big scam involving some blue-eyed boys of the PTI regime.
“The blame-game between the power ministry and oil marketing companies seems to be a coordinated tool to distract the people from their own exploitation as those with vested interests mint money by overcharging the Pakistani public”, he added.
The PPP Chairman said that ensuring Pakistans fuel and energy security was one of the prime duties of the Federal government, a duty that it has shamelessly neglected whilst it has indulged in witch-hunts and busy in intimidating and victimising the leaders and members of the Opposition.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned that the grave shortage of fuel had led to long queues in the cities and they could fast turn into raging mobs if the government doesn’t take its responsibilities to its citizens seriously. He added that it was imperative for the federal government to act fast to mitigate this crisis.
The PPP Chairman also implored the public to remain peaceful as the country was facing a myriad of grave crises and could not afford the added shock of fuel shortages. He asked the government to immediately restore supply and ensure availability of fuel at every station as well as take action against all those involved in the scam, which had led to this artificial shortage.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his Party was deeply concerned over the situation arising out of the mishandling by PTI government in dealing with coronavirus, locust attacks and now the petroleum scarcity.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/08/bilawal-bhutto-zardari-accuses-pti-of-creating-conditions-for-chaos-across-the-country-by-engineering-an-artificial-fuel-shortage-demands-immediate-restoration-of-supply/
In a statement issued here, the PPP Chairman said that incompetence and bad governance by the PTI regime was leading the country into a quagmire. After failure to follow a uniformed policy of preventing the onslaught of the coronavirus and mismanaging the response to the locust attack, the PTI government has once again proven that they serve the vested interests of their crony capitalist friends at the cost of the lives of hundreds of millions of ordinary Pakistanis, he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the shortage of petroleum at outlets has been artificially created and it would come as no surprise if even this fuel scarcity turns out to be another big scam involving some blue-eyed boys of the PTI regime.
“The blame-game between the power ministry and oil marketing companies seems to be a coordinated tool to distract the people from their own exploitation as those with vested interests mint money by overcharging the Pakistani public”, he added.
The PPP Chairman said that ensuring Pakistans fuel and energy security was one of the prime duties of the Federal government, a duty that it has shamelessly neglected whilst it has indulged in witch-hunts and busy in intimidating and victimising the leaders and members of the Opposition.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned that the grave shortage of fuel had led to long queues in the cities and they could fast turn into raging mobs if the government doesn’t take its responsibilities to its citizens seriously. He added that it was imperative for the federal government to act fast to mitigate this crisis.
The PPP Chairman also implored the public to remain peaceful as the country was facing a myriad of grave crises and could not afford the added shock of fuel shortages. He asked the government to immediately restore supply and ensure availability of fuel at every station as well as take action against all those involved in the scam, which had led to this artificial shortage.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his Party was deeply concerned over the situation arising out of the mishandling by PTI government in dealing with coronavirus, locust attacks and now the petroleum scarcity.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/08/bilawal-bhutto-zardari-accuses-pti-of-creating-conditions-for-chaos-across-the-country-by-engineering-an-artificial-fuel-shortage-demands-immediate-restoration-of-supply/
Bakhtawar sees dual standards of accountability under PTI
PPP leader and daughter of former prime president Asif Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto on Saturday took exception to Jahangir Khan Tareen’s UK visit despite him being named in the sugar inquiry report.
Responding to a tweet in which the user stated that Jahangir Tareen has left for the UK after “looting billions” but the National Accountability Bureau was “sleeping”, she said her father was placed on the no-fly list during elections after “a media scandal” broke and has been on it ever since.
“[M]y father a former President was placed on [Exit Control List] ECL during the elections after a media scandal broke & has been on it ever since. My brother [Bilawal Bhutto] was placed on ECL just for making a speech. Also half of Sindh Gov ministers,” she said.
“When it comes to real accountability - This is the other side,” Bakhtawar said.
- my father a former President was placed on ECL during the elections after a media scandal broke & has been on it ever since. My brother was placed on ECL just for making a speech.Also half of Sindh Gov ministers. When it comes to real accountability - This is the other side: twitter.com/chacharfayaz/s…
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On Friday, Tareen had reacted to media reports about his foreign visit and clarified that there’s “nothing to worry about” and that he was in the UK for a regular medical checkup.
“IA will get a clean bill of health and be back soon,” he added.
Seeing media speculating about my trip to the UK.
Nothing to worry about. Since I recovered from my illness in 2014, I have to have regular biannual check ups with my Doctors in the UK.
IA will get a clean bill of health and be back soon.
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Tareen has been named in the damning inquiry report as one of the beneficiaries of sugar price hike and a subsidy of billions of rupees doled out to the mills' owners.
The government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has multiple times reiterated that action would be taken on the basis of the report and no one will be spared.
Pakistan hospitals running out of beds as virus cases surge past 100,000
Pakistan -- and neighbours India and Afghanistan -- have lagged behind Western nations in virus tolls, but experts warn a lack of testing or accurate reporting in rural areas could be hiding true figures.
In recent weeks, however, the country of more than 210 million has reported a sharp rise in new infections, and on Monday the government said more than 100,000 cases and 2,000 deaths had now been recorded.
Last week a leaked government report suggested there were nearly 700,000 infections in Lahore alone.
Doctors at several main hospitals in the historic eastern city told AFP they were running out of beds, ventilators and other vital equipment.
"As the cases increase, more health care workers are also falling victim to the virus," said Farooq Sahil, a doctor at Services Hospital Lahore.
Khizer Hayat, chairman of the Young Doctors Association of Punjab, said facilities across the province needed help.
"Hospitals are running out of beds; there aren't enough ventilators given to us," he told AFP.
In the southern port city of Karachi, health centres are turning away the sick, with a large sign near the entrance of the Indus hospital stating there was no room for coronavirus patients.
Asad Umar, who heads the national coronavirus task force, said Monday a package to relieve pressure on hospitals was being finalised and would include 1,000 new beds in major cities.
Pakistan's lockdown policy has been patchy at best, with Prime Minister Imran Khan reluctant to call a nationwide shutdown in order to protect the economy.
"The crisis is unfolding now as we have ceased to observe isolation," said Sikander Ali Memon, who is leading Sindh province's anti-virus efforts.
In southwestern Balochistan province, government spokesman Liaqat Shahwani told AFP the situation was serious, and authorities were struggling to cope.