Fawad Chaudhry warns of 'practical steps' if PPP fails to bring change in Sindh

KARACHI: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday warned the government will take "practical steps" if the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership failed to bring any change in Sindh. 

Chaudhry, who is on a visit to Karachi, lashed out at the PPP leadership during a press conference held here earlier today.

"The government wants PPP to bring change themselves," he said, as he renewed his party's call for resignation of Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah. 

"If PPP fails to bring any change in Sindh, and if Murad Ali Shah does not resign by himself, then the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will need to take practical steps," Chaudhry warned. 

The information minister dubbed the Sindh chief minister as the “jinn” of Omni Group’s money-laundering “magic lamp”.

“Murad Ali Shah is the jinn of Omni Group’s ‘magic lamp’ with which Zardari group, rulers in Sindh [launder] money abroad in the blink of an eye. He says to his party leadership: ‘what can I do for you, my lord?’” Chaudhry remarked. 

“Bilawal is a child and children are non-political. I believe he has nothing to do with the situation in Sindh,” he added.

The minister claimed that the PPP’s senior leadership has contacted PTI to help in improving the conditions in Sindh.

“We want to give PPP opportunity to improve the situation in Sindh. If the money given to Sindh had been utilised honestly, then the province would have been completely [transformed] by now.

“Karachi is in dire straits. There’s no money for development projects,” he lamented.

“PTI Sindh stands with the people of the province,” Chaudhry added. 

Later in the day, the information minister in his brief chat with the journalist called the Sindh government 'a gas balloon', which can be exploded anytime by the PTI. 

"We have ended the monopoly of the Omni group in Sindh," he said. "Zardari and Faryal Talpur should be arrested for further probe in the money laundering cases."

Chaudhry said that the beneficiaries of fake accounts live in the Bilawal House.

"Whenever we ask them about the money transfered abroad their democracy comes in danger. Today the opposition meeting was for Alliance of Restoration of Corruption."

Chaudhry should keep his advice to himself: Wahab 

Barrister Murtaza Wahab, adviser to Sindh chief minister on information, law and anti-corruption, fired back at Fawad Chaudhry's remarks saying the information minister "should keep his advice to himself".

"If PTI is so keen on helping Sindh then it should immediately fulfil the provincial government's constitutional demands," Wahab responded. 

He claimed that the federal government is yet to release Rs90 billion to the people of Sindh. 

"PPP leaders [are possessed by the jinn] to serve the people of Sindh," the adviser remarked.

"If Fawad Chaudhry is visiting Karachi as a viceroy then it is not acceptable to us. If he has come here to [do some good] then we appreciate that," Wahab added.