More portfolios to be added to federal cabinet, says Shahbaz Gill

LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said on Wednesday that new inductions in the Punjab cabinet would be made in the light of huge population of the province, adding that more portfolios would be added to the federal cabinet as well and the names would be made public in a few days. He said the premier had given policy guidelines in this regard.

He was talking to the media here about the decisions made during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s day-long visit to the provincial metropolis. Gill said the opposition was set to face more challenges as more looted public money was being unearthed by the government institutions in near future.

He said Rs550 billion had already been recovered, adding that the recovered money would be utilised to provide more facilities to the masses. Shahbaz Gill said sarcastically the PMLN leadership must be thanked for making paupers and poor employees billionaires, adding that Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz drew billions of rupees from the bank accounts of Maqsood, a peon, to launder money.

“Medals should be awarded to the PMLN leaders for changing the plight of common peons through their corrupt practices,', he said, adding, the ill-gotten money was transferred to the bank accounts without knowledge of the account-holders.

The SAPM said that opposition leaders had got united in defence of their corruption and travelling to the length and breadth of the country to save themselves, adding that the thieves stand in a huddle once that were faced with accountability.

He said the PPP and PMLN leaders were the foes of the past but they had become friends today to defend themselves.

Shahbaz Gill said PMLN leader Maryam Nawaz was silent as her cousin and uncle were being indicted and the fear of indictment had brought all opposition leaders together. Hailing Federal Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, he said the scion of Chaudhrys of Gujrat acted very wisely and distanced his party from the opposition’s claims.

He admitted that the government had to increase the prices of petroleum products as per the trend in the international market, expressing the hope the petroleum prices would decrease in few months.

The SAPM on Political Communication Dr. Shahbaz Gill said country's economy was stable as the current growth rate is 5.3 percent while the foreign exchange reserves had reached 22 billion dollars, adding that all major industries textile, construction, had experienced boom in the recent years under the PTI government.

He said record remittances had been received while the country’s exports had seen a new high. To a query regarding Jahangir Tareen, the SAPM said Jahangir Tareen had not spoken publicly against the party or the Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that the critics should deal with the political matters on facts.

To another query, Shahbaz Gill said increase in the size of the cabinets would enhance productivity of the government, adding that the announcement of new portfolios was not for political gains but public welfare.