Pakistan: Federal minister hits out at Imran Khan for holding ‘concerts’ despite flood devastation

Islamabad [Pakistan], September 3 (ANI): After the satellite images of the Pakistan floods were released, the Foreign Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for holding ‘concerts’ in such a disaster situation.
While sharing the satellite images of floods on Twitter, Bilawal said, “Pakistan is facing the biggest disaster in our history. 1/3 of our country [is] underwater! 1/7 citizens [are] affected, 35 million ppl! [While] Ex-PM is holding concerts in KP & Punjab.”
He further said that the Chief Minister of both, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, were busy organising the musical events for PTI instead of helping the flood victims.
“Shameful, pehaly insan bano, phir siyasatdan bano! (become a good human first and then a politician),” he advised the former prime minister.
Earlier in the day, Imran Khan in his address at a public gathering in Pakistan’s Gujrat city, warned the incumbent government that his “freedom movement” will march towards Islamabad if ‘political victimisation’ against his party continued, The Express Tribune reported.
“I am warning you [PML-N-led coalition government] today, our justice movement will come to Islamabad if you continue to do this [political victimisation] and you will have nowhere to hide,” he said.
He lashed out at the government for its alleged use of force on PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, saying that he was stripped naked and tortured.
When the PTI was in power, Khan had said the opposition’s campaign against the government was based on rising inflation. However, during their own tenure, inflation has now reached record levels, reported The Express Tribune.
“Bilawal came to Islamabad and said Imran Khan ki kanpen tangengi… for God’s sake improve your Urdu first,” he said and added that the entire opposition of that time used to say the government had become a slave of the IMF.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, this year’s monsoon is already the country’s wettest since records began in 1961, and the season still has one month to go.
At least 1,186 people have died since June 14 from the rains and floods, Geo News report citing National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA’s) statement released on September 1.
According to the report, 12 people have died in Sindh, four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three in Balochistan in the last 24 hours. The deceased include nine children. The disaster management authority said 256 people were injured in flood-related incidents across the country.
The flash floods have badly impacted 80 districts of the country, according to The Express Tribune.
The NDMA report said that since June 14, at least 256 people have died in Balochistan, 268 in KP, 188 in Punjab, and 22 in Gilgit-Baltistan. (ANI)