Shibli Faraz lambastes Bilawal, PPP over corruption

ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz on Thursday threw sharp criticism at PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, questioning his right to speak against corruption and slamming the Sindh-based party simultaneously.

"Bilawal lives in a glass house and throws stones at others," Sen Faraz said, adding that there were numerous question marks over the integrity of the PPP boss and his family.

"Has Bilawal earned a single rupee in his life? Has he ever helped anyone?"

Referring to the PPP chairman's "innumerable properties in Karachi", he inquired how were they acquired. "How was Omni Group created? How did Omni Group engage in money-laundering?"

The federal minister said Bilawal had no moral justification to talk about corruption and that it did not matter whether he met JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman or Gul Rehman, an Afghan man killed in a CIA prison over suspicion of being a terrorist.

"Has Bilawal ever earned a single rupee in his life? Has he participated in a social programme that makes a difference to the common person? How was Surrey Mansion bought? What happened to the Swiss accounts," he asked.

The PPP chairman, the senator added, "does not have to go far to look for answers to these questions" as he would get answers to all them "from his family".

The government and Prime Minister Imran Khan would not bow down to Bilawal's blackmailing, he warned.

Claiming that the PPP had become a regional party, the senator said entire Pakistan was aware of the situation in Karachi. He added that the party could not rise with Bilawal's appearances on the television.

"Bilawal carries a heavy burden of corruption," he added, noting that the entire country was aware of how the prime minister and his family were hardworking and honest and how Imran Khan's elders had taught him integrity and compassion for the poor.

Faraz further spoke of the amendments to the draft legislation pertaining to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — a matter that has brought the ruling PTI and Opposition parties, including the PPP, PML-N, and the JUI-F, to a stalemate.

He said recommendations made by the PPP would "go to the trashcan".

"The FATF [Financial Action Task Force] amendments are for the country; the Opposition parties' recommended amendments to the NAB bill are for themselves," he noted.

Referring to an All Parties Conference (APC) scheduled after Eid-ul-Azha, Faraz said the Opposition parties "should apologise to the nation" through that platform.