LAHORE: Senior minister Aleem Khan on Sunday hit out at PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who, he said, could not hide his party’s corruption and blackmail the government by speaking against the prime minister and using ‘Sindh card’.

“Bilawal’s elders had betrayed the people through the slogan of roti, kapra aur makaan,” he said while reacting to the PPP leader’s comments against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Aleem Khan said Zardari looted the country and had now brought his son forward. “The younger Zardari should know that the people did not allow their leaders to launder public money abroad,” he said, adding that the masses wanted to know about the money stashed in Swiss banks as well as deals between Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari. He said Imran Khan became prime minister through his struggle.

Meanwhile, speaking to party workers and delegations at his public secretariat here on Sunday, the senior minister reiterated that the PTI would fulfill its promises it made with the people and steer the country to right direction.

Mr Khan said revolutionary progress would be seen in all the departments under the leadership of Imran Khan for which priorities had been set in the 100-day plan which is now in the final stages.

He said the PML-N ruled Punjab for 10 years consecutively but snatched the basic facility of clean drinking water from the people. He said the PML-N government did not add any new hospital or educational institute in the province and in fact delayed the project of Mian Mir hospital in Lahore. He said he had directed the health department to immediately make the hospital fully functional.

The senior minister was told about the issues of different areas of NA-129, PP-157 and PP-158. He said coordinators had already been appointed for the departments of Wasa, Sui Gas, LDA, PHA and Waste Management in public secretariat. He said the computerised record of the complaints and applications was being maintained.

He gave instructions to officials to organise Milad events.

Reacting to Aleem Khan’s diatribe against Bilawal, PPP leaders asked him to first explain how he built his own financial empire beyond his known sources of income.

In their statements, PPP central deputy information secretary Munawwar Anjum and Punjab information secretary Hassan Murtaza said Aleem Khan should explain his alleged corruption. They alleged that Mr Khan developed a housing society after illegally occupying land of the poor and was wanted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the case.

They said the minister must also explain the nation how Aleema Khan, a sister of Imran Khan, purchased properties in Dubai though she had no source of income other than being a director of the Shaukat Khanum cancer hospital and Mianwali’s Namal University. It meant, they said, she usurped the donations given to the charity institutions and transferred the money abroad.

The government must also clarify whether this money was transferred abroad through bank channels or hundi and that when reference against her would be sent to the NAB, the PPP leaders blasted.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2018