LAHORE: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday that the “Save the Dad” (Abbu Bachao) campaign launched by PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Maryam Nawaz of the PML-N would run for a long period because it would take time to settle financial matters of Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking at a press conference, the minister said Mr Bhutto-Zardari and Ms Nawaz posed no political challenge to the government. He said both should first be involved in public service and philanthropy or take up a job for at least six months before entering political arena. “It seems inappropriate to do politics on the basis of fathers’ (ill-gotten) wealth,” he added.

Answering a question about the government’s policy about the two major opposition parties’ proposed march towards Islamabad, the minister said the government acknowledged the opposition’s political right to protest peacefully. However, action would be taken if the protesters would go violent, he warned and referred to the PML-N’s workers recent act of “stopping a train and pelting stones”.

He suggested that Mr Bhutto-Zardari should hold a train march against India’s aggression.

“The PTI government did not lodge cases against the violent protesters under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) but the previous PML-N government had imposed the ATA on the protesters, including Imran Khan,” Mr Chaudhry said. “Considering ground realities, the opposition parties may borrow PTI workers to hold protest,” he said in a lighter vein.

The minister advised Mr Bhutto-Zardari to change his narrative and “take Pakistan’s side” by playing his role in implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).

Mr Chaudhry said that the NAP was all about writ of the state and it was in the interest of all political parties to eliminate terrorism from the country.

Replying a question about Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s demand for removal of three federal ministers over their alleged contacts with extremists, Mr Chaudhry said the PPP chairman would not have made this demand had he seen photos of Khursheed Shah and Qamar Zaman Kaira with extremists. “If we go by this example of pictures, we will need to ban all National Assembly members,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2019