CM reduces 10kg flour bag price by Rs160

LAHORE:Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has announced reducing the price of 10kg bag of flour from Rs650 to Rs490 with a subsidy of Rs200billion in the province.

Medicines will also be provided free of cost, the CM said while addressing a press conference here on Thursday. He said Imran Khan's statement that families of army men will be included in his long march was very serious and institutions should take notice of this. “Even in such a critical economic situation, Imran Khan is not backing away from conspiracy to divide the army. What does he want to do with the country? The Pakistani people should not follow him. He is manipulating the facts,” Hamza said, adding today dollar has reached Rs200. He said Imran Niazi knew that he was answerable for his ‘thefts’. He was a frightened man so he was making these moves, Hamza said, adding the only solution to mountain-like challenges facing the country was clean and transparent elections. Hamza said the disease had spread from the presidency and the disease had spread to the governor’s house, and both were disrespecting the court orders.

“The Constitution is violated in a way that the people of Pakistan have not seen or heard of in 74 years,” he said, adding it was the prerogative of the prime minister to send the name of the governor to the president but it has been a month and a half that Punjab where 12 crore people lives was without governor as well as the cabinet,” he said. Pervaiz Elahi shown stubbornness by not taking the oath of acting governor, he added.

“I have no cabinet for a month and a half, I am not saying this because I want to give an excuse, I am telling the people that they have violated the Constitution on the orders of Imran Niazi,” he said and added that if the Speaker does not take the oath of acting governor under the Constitution, it was a clear violation of the constitution. We have to make decisions for the people of Pakistan, especially Punjab. “Listen, Imran Niazi, open your ears and listen. Of course, if you lay thorns, I will cross them and join the sufferings of the people of my province. No force can stop me from solving the sufferings and problems of the people,” the CM said. He said Punjab used to supply wheat to other provinces but they imported the wheat and then Imran Niazi said that all this was done by the mafia.

Imran Khan, you have been playing games for four years, now you were spreading chaos in the realm of politics, you were attacking institutions and defaming them, Hamza said. He stated that Imran Niazi wanted chaos, not politics. “Imran Khan has said that he would commit suicide and would not take loan from the IMF, then you say not going to the IMF was our biggest serious mistake, because of you the financial markets collapsed, the rupee fell forty percent, you have committed a national crime,” Hamza maintained.

Today this person is chanting slogans of revolution whereas four years ago tsunami destroyed the country and destroyed the economy, the CM said, adding, “Our government was growing at 5.8pc, development budget of Rs3,200 billion was left”. Hamza said that Imran Niazi said that there will be army families in his long march. This was a very serious matter. Institutions should take notice of this. Imran Niazi was decorating a stage when the economy was on the ventilator, political turmoil was on the rise, Pakistan's enemies were lying in wait. Imran Niazi was not backing from the conspiracy to divide the army, Hamza added. He said Shehbaz Sharif said that Imran Khan had said that he did not become the Prime Minister to check the rates of potatoes and onions. “What did you come to do? Did you come to play? You raised the slogan of accountability but could not answer the theft of coffers. We are accused of money laundering but the report of National Crime Agency is in front of you. It has been seven years since the funding case. You have been hiding behind the restraining order. You have hidden accounts, solicited money in the name of T-boy, you got funds from enemy countries,” Hamza alleged.

People of Pakistan were keeping a close eye on Imran Khan as he was making enmity with Pakistan by living inside his ego. He violated the Constitution. Why did the Supreme Court have to open at midnight? If the court had not opened, there would be no Constitution or law here, he added.

“Imran Niazi angered Pakistan's friendly countries. Accused China of corruption in its plans, which angered China and challenges superpowers in meetings. We have diplomatic relations with the United States. He irritated the European Union and in the coming decades, the people of Pakistan will have to pay the price because Imran Khan caused irreparable damage to diplomatic relations, Hamza stated.

The CM said that he did not have any magic wand, adding, “Without spreading chaos in Pakistan, I will serve the people without wasting a single moment”. He said the IG has told the police that he would not recommend for the appointment of any police officer.

Elections will be held in time, he said while answering a question and said Imran Niazi has started his unholy attempts to question the integrity and survival of Pakistan, which was intolerable and action will be taken against it.

Replying to a question about improving the current economic conditions, he said Shahbaz Sharif was spending day and night for this. He said the PM was trying to decrease the duration of loadshedding.

“I do not believe in revenge, but if someone has committed corruption in the province and carried out robberies, who does not know that the province was run at the request of a woman, she was earning money, it was my duty to nab them,” he said on a question about arresting PTI leadership.

He said anyone who committed a criminal act will be brought before the people. “I will not say like Imran Khan that I will put everyone in jail but the law will make its way. If the people are happy then this is the best revenge on Imran Khan,” he maintained. To a question about PTI’s expected long march, he said Imran Niazi does not want democratic system to work.