KARACHI, June 19: Sindh’s Planning and Development Minister Shoaib Bokhari has said that one might disagree with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s policies but extending support to the sitting coalition government and trying to safeguard the people’s interests should not be viewed as anti-Pakistan acts.
Mr Bokhari — flanked by Finance Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad and Local Government Minister Muhammad Hussain — uttered these words at a press conference in the Sindh Assembly Building during a break for prayers in the legislature’s proceedings. The provincial ministers recalled the MQM’s stand on Greater Thal Canal and referred to the stance they took during the NEC meeting in Islamabad, which was presided over by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.
Mr Bokhari pointed out that it was not for the first time that MQM had opposed an ongoing government scheme as it had always remained on the forefront in campaigns against projects that were anti-people. He said his party had documentary evidences that supported its stance.
“MQM does not believe in hypocrisy and all along, whether we are a coalition partner in the government or in the opposition, we have always taken a stand on issues of public interest like Thal Canal project which we objected to even in the NEC meeting,” he said, adding that it was not possible for the NEC or provincial government to stop the project.
Declaring that the Thal Canal project was kicked off even before the preparation of a feasibility report and its PC-1 was received without a signature, he said funds for it were released well in advance.
Mr Bokhari said the resolution moved for stopping the project was not a move of the private members alone but also had the support of the treasury benches. He pointed out that the unanimous resolution passed by the Assembly on Feb 28 had not been given due weight and consideration by the federal government.
He criticized the opposition, who he said, by proposing amendments that slammed the chief minister, wanted to save face from the resolutions adopted by the House that censured one of its members for burning papers in the House during the budget speech, besides attempting to assault the finance minister.
Mr Bokhari said in contrast to the practices of the opposition, whose leaders supported Kalabagh Dam in the NWFP but opposed it in Sindh, MQM had raised voice against the Thal Canal project from every platform and in accordance to this policy the party moved resolutions in the National Assembly as well as Senate. The party was also holding a seminar on GTC on June 22 for which they had invited the PPP chief in Punjab.
In response to a question, Sindh’s Finance Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad expressed his belief that there would be no problems in getting the new budget passed.
Answering another question, he said under the given circumstances efforts had been made to provide relief to the people by presenting a budget free of new taxes.
