KARACHI: Leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly Khwaja Izharul Hassan has said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement did not demand a separate province but if injustices were not stopped, then the party would call for Karachi’s 50 per cent share in jobs and resources of Sindh.

While waving a set of documents showing a list of bureaucrats in 38 departments and commissioners and deputy commissioners in the provincial assembly, the leader of opposition said that only two per cent bureaucrats had Karachi domicile.

Mr Hassan expressed these views on Thursday while participating in the general discussion on the budget in the Sindh assembly. He said the Sindh government had spent Rs1,000 billion fund during the past nine years without any visible development on ground. He said the budget was being trumpeted as tax-free and people-friendly despite the 92 per cent indirect taxes being imposed on the people.

He said that no one knew about tax on services in the National Finance Commission, its credit went to MQM lawmaker Syed Sardar Ahmad. He said the federal government was asked to to give 57.5 per cent share to the provinces from the resources and provinces be given autonomy. The federation was asked not to intervene in the provinces according to 18th amendment, but here the province of Sindh was being ruled as a kingdom. In Sindh, he added, the government had an army of ministers and advisers and special assistants with ministers status and millions of rupees were allocated in the budget so that they could spend their luxurious lives without any check. He said the formula of NFC award was not adopted in the distribution of the provincial revenue.

Mr Hassan demanded that the local government be empowered so that the Larkana chairman could have the same power as that of Karachi mayor. He demanded that all the districts of Sindh be given financial resources on the basis of the NFC formula.

He said that in the month of Ramazan there was 30 per cent increase in prices of essential commodities that was why common man was now afraid of hearing about the budget. He claimed that the next chief minister would be from the MQM.

Terming the PPP government policies biased against Karachi, he said the funds were misused.

He criticised Rs11bn for the CM secretariat and demanded that Rs5bn of this fund be spent on the people of Thar desert. He said the Sindh government had failed to build 140 small dams. Even the Chinese company interested in solid waste management had refused to work with the Sindh government, he said. He said there was corruption of Rs100 billion in the KWSB every year, while the government had failed to ensure supply of water to residents. He warned that the scheme of Bahria Town would not be given even a drop of water from the K-IV.

Earlier, senior minister for education and literacy Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said: “We will oppose the division of Sindh province. Sindh assembly has already passed many resolutions in this regard. We will complete old schemes of education department and also work on new schemes. Due to efforts of the government, literacy rate has improved in the province.”

However, the leader of the opposition could not conclude his speech due to Iftar time. It was decided that on Friday he would conclude his speech and later the provincial finance minister and the chief minister would wind up the budget debate.

Later, the speaker adjourned the session till Friday.

Earlier, initiating the general discussion on the budget, Mr Khuhro said although the budget had to be deliberated upon but an issue about the so-called prejudice was unnecessarily raised. He said whenever the Sindh entity was questioned, one would have to respond. “No one could break Sindh because Sindh is the creator of Pakistan,” he added. Mr Khuhro said there was talk about sense of deprivation in support of raising the issue. The sense of deprivation is not only prevailing in Karachi and other cities but also in villages and towns. “If the federation had not given due share to the provinces, should the provinces start saying that they don’t want Pakistan,” he said.

The minister said if attempts were made to break Sindh in the name of sense of deprivation, it would be responded.

Resolution

Meanwhile, the assembly adopted a resolution unanimously paying tribute to Qawwal Amjad Sabri who was gunned down in Karachi on Wednesday.

The resolution was jointly tabled by lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.

The assembly through the resolution asked the law enforcement agencies to take immediate action for arrest of culprits. It stated Amjad Sabri’s demise was not only the loss of Pakistan but also of Muslim world. “We pay tribute to Amjad and express condolence on his said demise. We stand with his family in this period of grief and sorrow,” the resolution added.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2016