Hamza Shehbaz hits out at PTI govt over political victimisation, economic crisis.

LAHORE -- While criticising the PTI-led federal government for its recently announced budget for the fiscal year 2020-21, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz has warned that if the government did not abstain from political victimisation and not seek solutions to the deteriorating economy, the foundations of the country would be shaken.

Addressing the budget session of Punjab Assembly on Thursday, the PML-N leader said that he called for accountability of politicians 'but it should be done without discrimination'.

'A year has passed but NAB [National Accountability Bureau] could not file a reference against me. I don't even know what case NAB has made against me,' he said while terming it a 'selective accountability'..

Hamza questioned the anti-corruption watchdog's credibility, saying that when would it investigate the BRT project in Peshawar, helicopter case and Malam Jabba scandal.

'NAB is involved in political engineering. You [the government] should understand that NAB and economy cannot go hand in hand,' he alleged and said that even the Supreme Court remarked that anti-graft body has destroyed the country.

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Agriculture, he said, is an important part of the national economy, however, 40 per cent of the crops have been ruined.

While talking about global pandemic, he said that the government cannot blame Covid-19 for everything. 'Coronavirus is only three months old. Even before the pandemic, the inflation rate in the country was 5 per cent. The responsibility of the economic downturn goes to the government.'

The PML-N leader said that the country is facing numerous challenges including the coronavirus pandemic which has changed the dynamics of not only Pakistan but the entire world. 'However, the government seemed non-serious about the issue right from the start. When the virus started in China, it was said [By: the government] that it was a minor flu and it would be cured By: a Paracetamol tablet.'

Hamza said that almost 6,000 people are infected with the respiratory disease across Pakistan every day but the government's steps are endangering the lives of many others. 'The doctors' association kept...