‘Imran destroyed KP, Zardari sunk Sindh’

OKARA/CHINIOT: The Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, on Tuesday asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe into the performance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh governments that have left their provinces in shambles.

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been destroyed by Imran Khan and so is Karachi and others parts of Sindh by Asif Ali Zardari. “The NAB should probe into how billions of rupees were usurped. If these people are not held accountable then this will not be the country of Iqbal and Quaid’s Pakistan,” he added.

Shahbaz said the world would bear witness to the anti-graft body’s efforts to eliminate corruption only if they were unbiased. "The NAB should keep up its efforts in Punjab but it should also implement the accountability process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh," the chief minister said and questioned when would they be held accountable. He said the NAB is a constitutional body with digging out corruption as its responsibility; however, the accountability process should be transparent.

Shahbaz said the narrative of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is his personal stance and he (Shahbaz) has a different viewpoint, but the veracity of any of the two narratives could not be determined as right or wrong. “Nawaz Sharif is our party chief and I am the party’s president. The party policy is formed through consultations but it is not necessary that the thoughts of all of the party’s leaders are similar to mine and this is the essence of democracy which exists in the PML-N,” Shahbaz said.

The chief minister was responding to a query at the DHQ Hospital, Okara where he inaugurated a 50-bed emergency ward in the new double-storey building which is also equipped with CT scan and MRI machines. He also inaugurated a digital X-ray plant, mobile dispensary and hepatitis diagnostic laboratory.

The chief minister criticised Imran Khan, saying a 100-day plan has been announced after destroying the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last five years. “Whom are these people trying to fool? Imran has not done anything in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past five years,” he said. Mr Niazi destroyed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the PML-N has served the nation and worked in different sectors, including health, education, and roads, said Shahbaz. “True respect is only earned by serving the people. Mr Niazi’s allegations do not matter and if the nation chooses me, I will serve the entire country as Khadim-e-Pakistan,” he added. Taking a jibe at political rivals, Shahbaz said abusers have continued abusing, but the government remained busy in serving the citizens. In response to a question about the people who had left PML-N, Shahbaz said he could only pray for the defectors.

Earlier in the day, Shahbaz inaugurated hepatitis filter clinic, incinerator, CT scan machine and other projects at the District Headquarter Hospital, Chiniot. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said public service is a top priority for him and he would continue the noble job despite all the obstacles and hardships.