Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said Shahzad Akbar will continue his work as a member of the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) core committee, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Addressing a press conference Fawad said that Shahzad Akbar has done a great job and he exposed the opposition in difficult circumstances.

Fawad said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to create a system of empowered local governments.

The Information Minister said that through this system not only money will be transferred from the National Finance Commission to the provinces but also from the provinces to the districts. 

Fawad said that under this system, the mayor will be directly elected who will run his districts. The same modern system is working in New York, London and Paris, the Information Minister added.

Taking a jibe at the Sindh government, Fawad said that the provincial government has also not contributed to the fundamental reforms of local government, which is condemnable.

Fawad said the model of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is to keep the resources with their nominee. Both parties set up a network of accounts as 5,000 fake accounts created in the Omni scandal, the Information Minister added.

The Information Minister said the money has been deposited in these accounts. Though, Rs12 billion rupees have been recovered.

Fawad said that when Shehbaz Sharif was the Chief Minister of Punjab, he abolished local governments and kept all the resources himself, after which (Shehbaz Sharif & Co) they kept depositing all the money in their accounts.

Fawad added that amount of Rs4 billion was deposited in the account of recruiting peon in Ramzan Sugar Mill Malik Maqsood.

Billions of rupees in the names of “Manzoor Papar” and “Mushtaq Cheeni” went to the accounts of Shehbaz Sharif and his children.

Fawad said that we demand that Shehbaz Sharif gives reasons for Nawaz Sharif's not returning to the country.

The Information Minister said that Shehbaz Sharif's case should be presented directly before the people as they should see how he committed corruption.

Fawad lashed out at the PML-N supremo and said that Nawaz Sharif meets the media in his magnificent palace and tells them that this is not my house.

Fawad said that the prime minister who hold office three times has said that Pakistani law does not apply to my children.

The Information Minister said that PTI has received a sluggish economy in legacy. The country's economy was in bad shape, there was no infrastructure, Fawad added. It seemed that the East India Company had recaptured the country, he added.

The Information Minister lauded Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) and said that the ruling party has taken revolutionary steps with regard to local governments. No government has ever provided a system that empowers the people at the local level, Fawad added.

Fawad said that the distribution of powers was transferred from the federation to the provinces through the 18th amendment but powers were not transferred from the provinces to the districts. That is why there are problems in the cities today, the provincial government is not giving Karachi its due share, the Information Minister added.

Fawad said that despite COVID-19, the growth rate in Pakistan is 5.37 per cent.

The Information Minister said that when the whole world was talking about lockdown, Imran Khan was forbidding complete lockdown.

Fawad said that Imran Khan adopted smart lockdown strategy which was successful, today the whole world is following Pakistan's strategy.

The Information Minister said that today British PM Boris Johnson is also saying to go for smart lockdown, this is the strategy that Prime Minister Imran Khan started during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fawad said that’s why our economy is safe today, with per capita income rising from US$1,400 to US$1,650 today. Fawad added that Inflation has risen, but so has income.

The Information Minister said that hundreds of companies made a record profit of Rs929 billion. Fawad added that the Prime Minister also said that business companies should increase the salaries of their employees.

Fawad said that unless the owners of the companies would think on the matter seriously, the salaried segment of the society will continue to feel the pinch of inflation.

Fawad further added that in the Rana Shamim affidavit case, the Sharif family tried to put their impact.

Fawad further added that Charles Guthrie's tape also confirmed that Nawaz Sharif was sitting with Rana Shamim, where Shamim wrote the affidavit. The Sharif family did not deny this, Nawaz Sharif should be punished in this case, he added.

The Sharif family had similarly conspired against Sajjad Ali Shah, conspiring in Quetta and stopping Sajjad Ali Shah from working in the same Supreme Court.