IMF deal outdated after Covid-19: Bilawal.

Byline: Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD -- Blasting the government over its handling of the economy and the coronavirus situation, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Tuesday the deal with the International Monetary Fund reached last year had now become 'outdated and irrelevant' after the spread of Covid-19.

Taking part in a debate on the federal budget in the National Assembly, the PPP chief alleged that the government was today more worried about payments to the IMF than about providing relief to farmers, labourers, daily wage earners and to those doctors, nurses and police personnel who are fighting Covid-19, as well as sanitary workers.

In a hard-hitting speech, Mr Bhutto-Zardari warned the government against raising sensitive issues like the 18th Amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award as these were the country's 'faultlines'.

The young PPP chairman alleged that instead of helping the provinces during these hard times, the Centre had started depriving the provinces of their rightful share in the NFC Award. 'How will provinces fight Covid-19 without the centre's support. Where will you spend Rs229 billion which you have cut from Sindh's share?' he asked amiAdst slogans of 'shame, shame' by the opposition.

Accuses govt of slashing provinces' share in NFC; NA witnesses ruckus over minister's remarks against Khawaja Asif

'Don't you [the government] feel ashAAAAAAamed of cutting the share of BaloAchAAAistan only to feed Islamabad?' he went on, accusing the rulers of even depriving Gilgit-Baltistan of its Rs6bn share.

'We are not colonies. We want to walk side by side and help each other,' he said, alleging that the government had not allotted enough money for the provinces to battle Covid-19 and the locust threat. 'This budget is not a budget for current times, and that too of a country battling the Covid-19 and locust attacks,' he observed.

He also castigated the federal government and some leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for holding ordinary people responsible for the spread of Covid-19.

'How dare you blame the Pakistani nation for your criminal negligence? The people will surely give you an answer in the elections,' the PPP chief said with confidence.

He criticised the government for not listening to the World Health OrganisaAtion (WHO) during the pandemic, saying that had they imposed a stricter lockdown during Ramazan and on the occasion of Eid, the situation could have been brought...

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