Staff Reporter
Islamabad
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday demanded that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi retract his statement accusing the Sindh government of fanning provincialism. Addressing a press conference he said, “When we talk about Sindh, it is said that we play the Sindh card. When I talk about Balochistan and its issues, then am I playing the Balochistan card, similarly if I am talking about KP’s issues then am I playing the KP card? When I talk about Kashmir and speak up about what our PM is afraid to say, then am I playing the Kashmir card? Shah Mehmood Qureshi should take back his words, and if not, he should resign.”
The PPP chairman was responding to comments made by Qureshi during a special Senate session to debate the government’s policy on the Covid-19 pandemic. Qureshi, who earlier heard stinging criticism of the PTI-led government on the floor of the House by Senator Sherry Rehman, had lashed out at the PPP benches, saying that a party which once “stood for the federation now reeks of provincialism” and rejected claims that the Centre had left Sindh on its own amidst the pandemic.
“This is not the PPP of the past, which was a symbol of the federation. Today, I sense the roots of provincialism in the party,” the foreign minister said. Bilawal paid tribute to the health workers of Pakistan and demanded relief for them.
He said that in this pandemic, food security is an issue that needs to be addressed worldwide and according to a UN report; Pakistan is more prone to face damages done by a lack of food security. After 25 years, there has been a locust attack and plant protection is the federal government’s subject. He said that the federal government was given one year to prepare and it had promised us that it would send planes in March. Federal government promised us six planes and only one plane was provided to us, he said.
There have been locust attacks in Balochistan as well and the federal government has not helped at all. The way the federal government has not helped in the Covid-19 situation, similarly, no help has been offered during these locust attacks, he said.
This is concerning for our agriculture, the federal government is sleeping and we demand that the whole of Pakistan should be protected.
