ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Tuesday said the Federal Cabinet on Tuesday decided to file a case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif for giving a fake affidavit for return of his elder brother Nawaz Sharif after treatment.
“Nawaz Sharif went abroad through fraud and his activities in London are mockery of the state of Pakistan and its laws,” Fawad said in a news conference after the Federal Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said it was the decision of Federal Cabinet to allow Nawaz Sharif to go abroad, subject to submission of a surety bond worth Rs 7 billion but his younger brother approached the court and submitted a personal guarantee which ensured the former’s departure from the country.
The minister said Nawaz Sharif did not undergo any treatment in London despite passage of some 17 months. It clearly showed his mala-fide intent of going abroad to evade accountability.
He said the medical reports of Nawaz Sharif sent to the Punjab government from London did not match to the previous reports which were rejected by the Punjab government.
The drama of Nawaz Sharif’s health was a total concoction and not based on his real illness, he added.
He said the Sharif family was contacted twice by the Pakistani embassy in the UK on the orders of the High Court, but they refused to provide any report.
Nawaz Sharif’s medical reports had to be shared with Pakistan Embassy doctors, he added.
He said such tactics by the Sharif family proved that Shahbaz Sharif was fully involved in the fraud of sending Nawaz Sharif abroad on the pretext of his medical condition.
The minister said the Cabinet directed the Attorney General to plead with the Lahore High Court to either instruct Shehbaz Sharif to bring his brother back or face disqualification as the member of National Assembly under Article 63 of the Constitution.
“Shahbaz Sharif filed a fake affidavit which is a violation of Article 63 of the Constitution and he should also be penalized for this offence”, Chaudhry Fawad remarked.
At the outset of the federal cabinet meeting, a detailed briefing was given to the forum on the Murree tragedy and informed that the Punjab government had set up a high-level inquiry committee to probe the incident, he said.
Fateha was offered for the victims of Murree tragedy, and it was stated that the entire nation stood with the families of the deceased, he added.
Fawad said the Cabinet was informed that some 164,000 vehicles entered Murree in only five days, while 22 people were died in five vehicles stranded between Kuldana and Barian.
He said trees fell on the road due to heavy snowstorms which resulted in long queues of vehicles. Machinery and helicopters were difficult to reach the area due to heavy snowfall.
Many people left their vehicles on the roads and went on foot to leave the area, whereas some people fell asleep with heaters on in their vehicles, he added.
According to the preliminary investigation, he said the deaths occurred due to increased level of carbon monoxide in vehicles. The prime minister had expressed deep sorrow and regret over the Murree tragedy.
The minister said during the past three years, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had revolutionized domestic tourism and it has developed 13 new tourist resorts whereas in the past over 70 years no new tourist sites were developed.
He said the provincial governments, authorities, and local administrations were needed to be prepared for influx of tourists. After the partition, no attention was paid for the purpose, he added.
Chaudhry Fawad said the present government had tried to promote tourism as a sector.
Before Imran Khan became PM, he visited to Kumrat valley and the pictures released by him went viral, and a large number of people thronged the valley.
Pointing to immense potential of the tourism sector in Pakistan, Fawad said it must be
given industry status to make Pakistan economically strong.
He said that affairs were reviewed by the cabinet to improve arrangements in Murree, adding new rules would be made in that regard.
He said Pakistan Army and civilian agencies carried out rescue efforts with throttle and made possible evacuation of millions of people within 24 hours which was highly commendable.
Fawad said the government would provide Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) before April 15 to use it in Islamabad local polls.
The Cabinet, he said approved appointment of Asif Rashid as chairman intellectual Property Organization (IPO) while two members from Punjab and one each from other provinces to its copyrights board.
The Cabinet accorded approval for making Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan as regulator of ‘Credit Guarantee Trust Fund’, under the Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Act, 2020 to prevent illicit capital from being transferred abroad.
The Minister said the government would soon launch a housing project in Islamabad on 400 canals of land for overseas Pakistanis with a capacity of 6000 apartments.
The initiative, he said was aimed at, enabling overseas Pakistanis who were part of Roshan Digital Accounts to buy properties in Pakistan especially in Islamabad. He said it was expected to fetch around 2 billion dollar from the project.
The federal Cabinet has directed both the ministries Interior and Finance to hold deliberations with boards of investment and review such schemes to facilitate foreigners in buying properties in Pakistan.
He cited the example of Turkey and other countries where foreigners were allowed to buy properties.
The body granted approval for Capital Development Authority (CDA) budget 2021-22 and revised estimates, he maintained.
He said CDA chairman apprised the Cabinet that the authority has generated revenue of Rs 12.9 billion in 2018 after selling 53817 square yards of land during the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).
On the contrary, he said it fetched Rs 31.1 billion in 2021 during PTI rule with sale of 46783 square yards. The federal apex agency generated double revenue by selling less land.
The Cabinet gave approval for fuel price adjustment in electricity bills in fourth quarter of 2020-21.
The adjustment would be given to consumers in three installments.
The Cabinet has deferred the approval for regularization of Non-Custom Paid (NCP) vehicles in erstwhile Federal Administrated Tribal Areas.
The Minister said the Cabinet approved the appointment of Dr Liaqat Massih Qaiser as member to National Commission for Minorities.
In a land mark decision, he said the federal Cabinet granted approval for Science Technology, Innovation policy.
It was decided in the Cabinet that the working on privatization plan of Guddu and Nandipur power plants would continue, he added.
He said the Prime Minster in the meeting stressed the need for staring work on Kharian-Rawalpindi motorway at the earliest, adding that a meeting in that regard would be convened by next week.
Fawad said the Cabinet accorded approval for importing 50,000 metric tons of Urea (fertilizer) from China, adding that Rs 50 billion has been given to Chinese independent power producers (IPPs) to resolve their issues.
To a query on the death toll of Murree tragedy, he said Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals has given death certificates of 22 people. If opposition was disagree with the figure it should produce the list of dead people.
In response to another question, the Minister said factions have started appearing in the PML-N and the party members would started parting ways in the coming days.
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