Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said Saturday the Pakistan Democratic Movement was holding a meeting after which Fazlur Rehman would fall ill, reported 24News HD TV channel.

The PML-N should first elect a leader and then hold any public meeting, he added.

While talking to the media persons in Karachi, he said that PML-N wasted millions of dollars looted from Pakistan on a marriage ceremony in London, they should not hold such events and come back to Pakistan to face the courts.

He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had presented its three-year performance to the people from 2018 to 2021. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah should inform the people about the 13-year performance of the PPP rule in the province and PML-N should also give performance report for its tenure in power, he added.

The opposition should also inform the people about its three-year performance, he said, adding the opposition had never pointed out the real issues, it never gave any strategy on the situation in Afghanistan, foreign policy and economic policy.

Fawad said that for the sake of popularity, the government was criticized by the opposition and now people did not take their criticism seriously.

He said that the Finance Minister said that despite coronavirus, the economic situation of the country was improving under the present government, adding that Pakistan was ranked third in terms of better initiatives during coronavirus.

The minister said that the country’s current account deficit was $ 20 billion when the PTI came to power and now it had come down to $ 1.8 billion in three years.

Foreign exchange reserves were $ 16.4 billion three years ago which had now increased to $ 27 billion, he added.

When the PTI assumed power, tax collections were Rs 3800 billion, now they had reached Rs 4700 billion, he said. Remittances had increased from $ 19.9 billion to $ 29.4 billion in three years, the minister pointed out. He said that the growth rate of industries had increased by 18% in three years. Cement production increased by 42% and farmers earned an additional income of Rs 1100 billion in the agricultural sector.

Fawad said the confidence of the business community in Pakistan had increased by 108% in the last one year and investment in the country had increased during the last three years.

The minister said that the people of Sindh were facing a dire situation as the money given to Sindh by the federal government was not being spent on the people.

The Sindh situation was very worrying as the provincial government had failed to deliver, administrative matters in the province were in crisis, the minister said.

He said that the Sindh government was neither working for the welfare of the people nor allowing the federal government to do any welfare work.

He said that the federal government had allocated Rs 1100 billion for Sindh. “The share of the provinces is given to them after collecting taxes from the entire country but when Sindh government is asked to account for this amount, they say that it is interference in provincial affairs,” the minister said.

He said that the basic development work was the responsibility of the provincial governments, the provinces should abide by Article 149A and transfer powers to the local bodies, an empowered system of local bodies should be established in Sindh province.

To a question, Fawad said that inflation in the country had increased by 27% while income had increased by 37%.

The federal government had taken several steps regarding agriculture as 60% of the country’s population was engaged in this sector, he pointed out. The minister said that an additional Rs 1100 billion had been given to farmers whereas the price of wheat had increased from Rs 1200 to Rs 1800 per 40 kg while the price of sugarcane had been increased from Rs 135 to Rs 300 per 40 kg.

He said that sale of vehicles and tractors had doubled in three years. The minister said that the efficiency of textile companies had increased and the income of others including laborers working in the construction sector had also increased.

He said that the salaried class, especially the media employees had been affected by the rise in prices.

He said that the government had taken several steps for media employees, and it would protect the rights of media workers in all circumstances.

Fawad said the government had released Rs 700 million to media owners but the salaries of media employees had not been increased.

Replying to a question, he said that party elections in PTI would be held during the constitutional period, adding that there should be a system of reliable party elections in political parties of the country.

Replying to another question, he said that Punjab and IRSA wanted to set up a monitoring system on the issue of water distribution but the Sindh government objected to it as the system would not provide water to the lands of the ‘Waderas’ of the province.

He said that the Sindh government should sit down with the federation on the issue of water. The minister said that there was no burden of Afghan refugees on the border of Pakistan as only 400 Afghan refugees had got their names registered so far. If the crisis continued for a long time, then the situation might worsen and Pakistan was making arrangements at the borders for the refugees coming from Afghanistan, he added.

In response to a question, the minister said that in Karachi, the green buses project was planned by the federal government and it would do as much as possible for the people of Sindh.

Replying to a question, he said that any amendment in the Pakistan Media Development Authority draft would be welcomed except for the rights of media workers and fake news.