–Info minister says Sindh CM ‘jinn’ of Omni Group
KARACHI: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday warned that if the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is unable to bring change in Sindh and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah does not resign, then the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government “will have to take practical steps”.
Talking to reporters, Fawad said that the government wants the PPP to bring a change in the province themselves and is in favour of the appointment of a new chief minister.
The information minister dubbed the Sindh chief minister as the “jinn” of Omni Group’s money laundering “magic lamp”.
“Murad Ali Shah is the jinn of Omni Group’s ‘magic lamp’ with which Zardari group, rulers in Sindh [launder] money abroad in the blink of an eye. Chaudhry remarked that Sindh CM is willing to do everything for his party leadership.
“Bilawal is a child and children are non-political. I believe he has nothing to do with the situation in Sindh,” he added.
The minister claimed that the PPP’s senior leadership has contacted PTI to help in improving the conditions in Sindh.
“We want to first give them an opportunity [to bring change]. If this opportunity is not availed, and they do not take advantage of it, and Murad Shah does not resign, then we will certainly have to take practical steps here,” he further said.
“Karachi is in dire straits. There’s no money for development projects,” he lamented.
“PTI Sindh stands with the people of the province,” Chaudhry added.
Fawad had postponed his Sindh visit last month after the apex court’s hearing went against the government’s stance on the ongoing investigations in the fake bank accounts case. Government’s initiative of placing 172 people, who were named in the joint investigation team’s (JIT) report in the case, on the Exit Control List (ECL), had irked Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar. The Supreme Court (SC) had directed the federal cabinet to reconsider placing those 172 individuals on the no-fly list.
Chaudhry was allegedly tasked by the prime minister to meet leaders of political parties apart from the PPP during his earlier trip to Sindh and seek their support for dislodging the PPP government.
The federal and provincial governments are at loggerheads since the government’s decision of placing the top leadership of the ruling party in the province on the no-fly list. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had formed the JIT in the mega money laundering case involving PPP’s top leadership, including Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and provincial Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
