KARACHI: Feudal system main hurdle in progress, says Ibad
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 24: The Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad, has said the biggest impediment in good governance was the feudal system and its mindset that was suffocating the entire structure of society and hampering progress. The governor said this while inaugurating a seminar on ‘Good governance and legal remedies’ organised by the Ombudsman Sindh at a local hotel on Tuesday.
Referring to the keynote address by veteran politician Illahi Bakhsh Soomro in which he had dealt with education, health and security issues, Ibad said education was the only way to change the mindset, and the government was addressing the problem.
He said despite constraints and limitation of resources the government had embarked upon computerizing the entire system besides improving quality of higher education in universities.
The government had increased allocation for education by 1,200 per cent and hoped its results would become visible in the coming years, he said.
He agreed that the health sector needed revamping so that health care could be improved in civil hospitals.
The governor, pointing to pressures of the increasing population, said due care was being paid to develop and equip all district hospitals so that pressure on civil hospitals could be reduced.
Besides, he said, an e-health project was being set up for providing expert consultation services round the clock for district hospitals.
He offered Mr Soomro to constitute and head a committee whose recommendations would be implemented for improving the performance of public sector hospitals.
About the law and order situation, the governor said as compared to the situation he had inherited, the security situation had become far better, and its manifestation were the increasing industrial units at Nooriabad, Thatta and Badin Industrial estates.
He also lauded the role of law enforcement agencies in this regard, who despite financial and manpower constraints were able to rein the law and order situation.
He said Karachi was the heart of Pakistan and its industrial hub, and it was for the first time that the KPT, the Pakistan Steel and other institutions were made to contribute to improving the city’s infrastructure.
Referring to the shortage of water and power, which often turned into a law and order problem in the city, he said the government was paying full attention to solve the problem, adding that by April next the power crisis would be overcome. Similarly, upon completion of the K-III project, the water supply situation would also be solved.
The governor recalled the Prime Minister’s words, who had said that the biggest impediment in progress was the drawing room culture. He said even those who had been in power till a few years back, and who had failed to deliver, were having the audacity to criticize the government despite the fact that the government was mindful of the requirement and was taking necessary steps to facilitate people at their doorstep.
“We do have some shortcomings but we are prepared to implement any suggestions based on ground realities,” Ibad said.
Earlier, Mr Soomro, in his keynote address, portrayed a dismal picture of the working of the public institutions particularly of civil hospitals where patients were not treated as human beings and no medicines were provided to patients despite allocation of millions of rupees for the purpose.
He asked the governor to pay visits as a common man to assess the situation, not only in Karachi, but everywhere to realize the gravity of the situation for himself.
Mr Soomro also referred to such school buildings, which existed in every village of the province and where teachers were on the payroll, but the buildings there were used as drawing rooms or cattle pens, and the money was being embezzled in the name of teachers.
He also said the law and order situation had worsened to an extent that one was not sure if he would return home alive from work. People also felt insecure in their homes as well, he said.
He said there was no point in acquiring private security services by individuals when they were paying taxes to the government.
Welcoming the chief guest and the guest speakers, Ombudsman Yousuf Jamal said it were the efforts of the governor that the city was once again returning to normal.
He recalled that all-round development in the social sectors and improvement in the investment atmosphere was due to improvement in the law and order situation. However, he pointed out that good governance was not a onetime affair but a constant endurance.
KARACHI, May 24: The Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad, has said the biggest impediment in good governance was the feudal system and its mindset that was suffocating the entire structure of society and hampering progress. The governor said this while inaugurating a seminar on ‘Good governance and legal remedies’ organised by the Ombudsman Sindh at a local hotel on Tuesday.
