Fawad says 'frustrated' Bilawal discontinues AJK election campaign halfway, Maryam to follow suit

Flanked by Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar and Prime Minister's Adviser on Accountability Shahzad Akbar, he told a news conference that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader seemed to be frustrated due to poor public response and less number of party candidates in the run.

Likewise, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader's frustration was evident since she had no narrative as indicated by her senseless and frivolous speeches. Moreover, the PML-N also failed to field candidates in all the constituencies, he added.

All such factors, he said, would eventually force Maryam to leave the field, thus giving an upper hand for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was frightening them at the moment.

Out of frustration the PML-N was already making a hue and cry over what they called 'rigging' in the AJK Legislative Assembly polls, he added.

Fawad said the PML-N leader did not know the exact number of wars, Pakistan and India fought on the Kashmir issue.

He said the PTI's election campaign was robust and it would beat both the parties, which even could not manage to field required number of candidates in the AJK electoral arena.

He said PML-N President and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, in a press conference today, played up the power and gas issues instead of explaining his position with regard to the allegations of corruption against him.

Shehbaz, Fawad said, should have answered to the queries about laundering of Rs 25 billion abroad on forged documents, but he narrated that he had built Metro Bus Service in Punjab.

Similarly, he added, when he (Shehbaz) was asked that his sons had transferred billions of rupees abroad, he told the investigators that he had worked on water supply schemes.

When questioned about billions of rupees transferred to his accounts, Shehbaz said he had served the Punjab province, the minister added.

Fawad said both the PPP and the PML-N had one similarity that the funds given by the Centre for the development of Sindh and Punjab were traced in London.

Some of the properties of former rulers were exposed through the Panama Papers scandal, and many more were yet to be unearthed, he added.

As regards Afghanistan, the minister said Pakistan had been keenly monitoring the fast changing situation in the neighbouring country and the entire world had lauded its efforts for durable peace there. Pakistan was in contact with all Afghan parties and making full efforts for a peaceful and all-encompassing government in Kabul, he added.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had declared in unequivocally that Pakistan would be a partner of the United States in the peace efforts, but not war.

Replying to media persons' questions, Fawad said that the National Accountability Bureau Had recovered Rs 427 billion during the past three years. He appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan for an open trial of high profile cases as it would help restore the people’s confidence in justice system.

He said in the past Pakistan had an open border with Afghanistan, which had now  been fenced, and in case of new refugees, appropriate steps would be initiated to handle them in a systematic manner.