Raiwind meeting part of ‘save my dad campaign’: Firdous

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Sunday said the meeting between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz at Raiwind on the International Father’s Day was part of the '‘save my dad campaign’ as fathers of both were facing corruption charges.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is serving a jail term in the Al-Azizia corruption case while former president Asif Ali Zardari is in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the fake bank accounts case.

Addressing a press conference here at the National Press Club, Dr Firdous said two matches had taken place today - one was Pakistan-India 2019 Cricket World Cup match held at Manchester and the other was played at Raiwind.

“The Raiwind match clearly proves the existence of groupings in the PML-N as Shehbaz Sharif despite being the party president was not part of the meeting," she added.

She said the soul of Shaheed Motharma Benazir would be in trouble today as her son went to Raiwind just to save his father’s corruption. “The fathers of both Bilawal and Maryam are at a place where they deserve,” she added.

The communique issued after the Raiwind’s meeting surprised her that the two children, who were born with golden spoons, were talking about inflation in the country. Dr Firdous said Prime Minister Imran Khan was the only hope for the nation to steer the country out of crises while Maryam was criticising him only to raise her stature.

Terming Maryam Nawaz 'Rajkumari' (princess) and Marriyum Aurangzeb her 'Keneez' (maid), Dr Firdous said she was searching for the latter, who had ruined the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

As regards Maryam Nawaz's statement that she did not consider the PTI government as an elected one, Dr Firdous said it was the parliament where both the leaders of the House and Opposition and other members took oath whereas Maryam Nawaz was ineligible to become its member.

She said the whole nation viewed that both Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal were immature to run the state affairs as they were not even aware of the problems being faced by the people at the grassroots level.

Dr Firdous said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fzalur Rehman was now out of the mainstream politics. “Since 1988, he had availed perks and privileges under the government packages, which has now been ended.” He would not be allowed to use his so-called clout nor his allies, including the PPP and the PML-N, she added.

The special assistant said the PTI along with its allies would get the budget passed from the parliament for implementation to achieve the set targets for the benefit of the people. The opposition would not be able to succeed in their plans to impede the budget's passage, she added.

She said the previous regimes of the PPP and the PML-N had left the national economy in a shambles, which was now going to take due to the prudent policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

To a question, she said the expenses for taking part in the Inter-Parliamentary Cricket World Cup (IPCWC) to be staged in London from July 8 to 15 would be borne by the Pakistan Parliamentary Cricket Team (PPTC) themselves. To another question, she said she could feel the agony felt at the Raiwind meeting over the High Powered Inquiry Commission being formed by the government. “It is the first time that the government and the state institutions are on the same page,” she added.

To a query, she said Bilawal's spokesman Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar would get justice if he was innocent.

Our correspondent adds: Meanwhile, in a tweet, Dr Firdous said: “The convicted princess of Sharifia dynasty and the crown prince of Zardaria dynasty are gathering at Raiwind palace and this has nothing to do with democracy.”.

In tweets, she expressed hope that to the satisfaction of courts, the two would give a clear agenda for bringing back the absconding brothers of Maryam and other Sharif family members and inform the nation about it.

Firdous Ashiq Awan said the nation was fully aware about the bitter reality that both the PML-N and PPP had started the process of transferring politics and property to their next generations and this gathering (Raiwind meeting) was a step towards achievement of that goal.

She said that certainly the soul of martyred Benazir Bhutto would be anxious and restless, as she had always challenged the ‘Takht-e-Lahore’ and the very elements, who had forced her to take along her young son to meet her spouse in confinement. “Bilawal had reached Raiwind to save his father’s corruption,” she added.