SIALKOT: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan says the Iftar dinner hosted by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in honour of leaders of different political parties is actually meant to protect each other’s corruption and to achieve personal political gains.

“Present in Islamabad, they are actually looking for back doors to flee the country by putting pressure on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” she told newsmen here on Sunday.

She said that the politically mature masses had already rejected such corrupt politicians.

“Actually they wanted to deceive the masses further, but now their game of personal gains is over and the government will neutralise their moves with the active support and power of the masses,” she said.

Dr Awan, who was the federal information minister during the last PPP government, said the PTI government was fully aware of the prevailing political situation in the country.

She said there was no more room for the corrupt in the country as the government was committed to eliminating corruption from society. She said each looted penny would be recovered from both PPP and PML-N leaders.

She said Prime Minister Imran Khan was the only hope for this nation. “The government is committed to ending corruption, poverty, unemployment and ignorance from the country under the dynamic leadership of Imran Khan,” she said.

Dr Awan said the government was capable of tackling this political nexus between PPP and PML-N and it would never allow further plunder of the national wealth by leaders of these two political parties.

Later, Dr Awan inaugurated the project of gas supply to Kala Haraawaan village.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar also chipped in to heap criticism on the opposition parties’ meeting.

In a tweet, Mr Azhar said: “It’s obvious that the PML-N has been reduced to being the personal property of Sharifs. But what is interesting is that there is no concept of merit even within the Sharif family.

“Hamza Shahbaz’s 20-year-old political work goes to waste as Maryam sidelines him to lead the PML-N’s delegation.”

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2019