ISLAMABAD: The opposition PTI on Thursday assailed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his absence from the country while his people reeled from floods.

In a statement, party’s central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram condemned the premier’s decision to remain abroad during such a critical situation.

Mr Akram lamented that the premier’s “obsession” with foreign trips had become so extreme that he could not forego even a single visit, calling it “conduct unbecoming of an elected leader”.

He said the premier should have immediately cut short his trip and returned to lead the rescue and relief efforts on the ground.

“Instead, he chose to receive briefings abroad, a move that speaks volumes of his detachment from the miseries of the people,” he alleged.

Mr Waqas further claimed that the devastation caused by the floods was largely a man-made disaster, worsened by three decades of misrule.

He also lashed out at the Punjab government for disrupting PTI’s relief activities in the province, alleging that rescue teams were delayed for hours to accommodate Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s “staged” visits.

Referring to Khwaja Asif’s startling revelations regarding corruption scandals, Mr Waqas said if a close associate of the Sharifs had accused them of corruption, it was undeniable proof that billions were siphoned off through metro projects and other schemes.

He demanded that every looted penny be recovered and redirected to flood-affected families.

It is worth mentioning that Defence Minister Khwaja Asif had recently remarked that corruption had damaged the country more than floods, adding the government should begin accountability with itself and include bureaucrats as well.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2025