PTI tables S Punjab bill in NA today: Qureshi

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Sunday the south Punjab province committee, formed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, would present the South Punjab Province Bill in National Assembly on Monday (today).

The committee consists of Samiullah Chaudhry, Sardar Nasrullah Dareshak and Pir Zahoor Hussain Qureshi, he said adding that Rs680 million had been allocated for the South Punjab Secretariat, which would start working from the current fiscal year. He said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was opposing creation of the south Punjab province.

The foreign minister said the country had to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package unwillingly. “The government had tried to avoid going to the IMF, but it had to do so. However, it needs to be pondered over why the government had to go to the IMF. The previous government had left a big fiscal deficit crisis, which was leading the country to bankruptcy,” he added.

He said rise in current terrorism wave in the country had been hatched by anti-Pakistan and anti-CPEC forces, which did not want stability in the country. He warned that if India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) or Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) would be found involved in current terrorism wave, Pakistan would chase them at any cost, like Pakistan’s Air Force targeted Indian fighter jets.

He said there were no two opinions that Pakistan was passing through critical situation, but assured that the PTI government would complete its tenure of five years.

He said the PTI government was not backing May-12 culprits and the case was being heard by the courts.

He said Chinese vice president would visit Pakistan from May 26 and Pakistan would ink agreements with China in the fields of agriculture research, labour, training and other projects, which would open new windows of jobs for the youth.

Earlier, he presided over a meeting at Circuit House and said Rs3.5 billion corruption had been detected in Multan Solid Waste Management and the Public Accounts Committee would investigate the scam.