LAHORE - Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said Sunday that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was out on the ‘Save Father’ mission.

Addressing a media conference here at Press Information Department (PID), he said after this mission, Bilawal would also have to start ‘Abbu Nikalo’ (Release father) movement.

“It is very unfortunate that when Zardari is being investigated for Rs5000b alleged corruption and his son is threatening a ‘train march.’”

To a question, Fawad said that it was ironic that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Khursheed Shah were now worried about democracy and Pakistan.

“Maulana seemed more worried about being away from Islamabad and not Islam as since 1988 for the first time Maulana had been out of the parliament.”

Fawad opined that in the absence of Fazl, the parliament appeared even more peaceful and working effectively.

To another question, he said that Bilawal should also have seen Khursheed’s pictures with terrorists and added that no one could be removed from his parliamentary office on the basis of mere pictures. He said the PPP chairman would have to change his narrative in this regard.

Fawad said the National Action Plan had been initiated in 2014, and all political parties played their role in this regard, citing that the then PPP government had launched a successful operation against terrorists in Swat, while the PML-N government achieved success in North and South Waziristan under the NAP and the incumbent PTI government was removing lacunae in the National Action Plan. He said that NAP was not a political matter, but an issue of the writ of the state, and it was equally beneficial for all political parties.

Responding to reporters’ queries, the minister said the opposition parties were free to lodge their protests; however, no one would be allowed to take the law into their hands by throwing stones at policemen and the media persons and ransacking the public and private properties under the garb of protest demonstrations.

The PTI government did not impose Anti-Terrorism Act on the detained workers of opposition parties, he said and recalled that the past governments had imposed this act on the PTI workers and even its chairman during the party’s sit-in in Islamabad.

He added that the PTI government under the leadership of PM Imran Khan was transforming Pakistan into Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan where minority communities were secure and all the citizens had equal rights.

To a question, Fawad said the PTI government had no political challenge from both  Bilawal and Maryam Nawaz as PM Imran Khan was not being seen as Pakistan’s leader only but the leader of Muslim Ummah by the world because he was consulted on the issues of various Muslim countries such Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, UAE and Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had not only highlighted importance of Pakistan but proved its worth to the world, he said and cited that within a few months, three Muslim leaders, including Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed of UAE and Muhammad bin Salman of Saudi Araiba visited Pakistan, while Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey would soon come here.

In the past, he said, there was no such example of visits of world leaders to Pakistan in a short span of time. Instead of enjoying and relying on their fathers’ ill-gotten wealth, he advised both Bilawal and Maryam to get employed somewhere for six months so that they could realiae the life of a common man.

The PTI government’s reforms in the country were now taking roots due to which Pakistan’s economy was not only improving but the menace of corruption was also discouraged, he said.

He mentioned that due to effective measures by the incumbent government, fiscal deficit and trade deficit were reduced by 17 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, while more than Rs 40 billion had also been saved through a successful campaign against electricity theft.

To a query, he said the PTI government was in contact with Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and parliamentary leaders of other parties regarding appointment of members of the Election Commission of Pakistan.