KARACHI: Former Sindh chief minister and a leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday fired a broadside at his former counterpart in Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, alleging the latter’s party had always denied Sindh its rights during its previous tenures.

Mr Shah rebuked the PML-N leader in a statement on the latter’s claim that he would turn Karachi into Paris after winning the July 25 elections.

“(The) PML-N government had completely ignored the people of Sindh during their tenure and now its new president Shahbaz Sharif is making tall claims to make Karachi into Paris. As a matter of fact they (PML-N) refused to give Sindh its due share in water, power and National Finance Commission Award,” said Mr Shah.

The former Sindh chief minister said: “We had requested the then federal government to give additional share of water to Karachi because people from across Pakistan are living here but they rejected our request in the CCI (Council of Common Interests) meeting.

“Now, Shahbaz Sharif is claiming to provide water to the people of Karachi within next three years, a turnaround to what they actually did when they were in the government in the centre.”

He said the PML-N’s past government “under a conspiracy” resorted to prolonged gas loadshedding so that industrial units operating in the city could be shifted to Punjab.

“The PML-N government tried to destroy industrial economy of the province but it was PPP government which fought the case of industrialists and controlled the gas loadshedding to some extent,” he said, adding that such deeds clearly exposed Shahbaz Sharif’s claims of boosting industrial activity in Sindh.

Mr Shah said that when PML-N leadership was not in power their hearts start beating for the people of Sindh but “our people are well aware of the anti-Sindh policies of the PML-N leadership”.

He said the PML-N government gave mega projects to Lahore but totally ignored Karachi — though the federal government kept generating huge revenues from the city.

“After our serious protest, you (PML-N government) finally gave Karachi only one BRT Green Bus project which fell victim to your disinterest, and has not been completed in four years. This is how the PML-N leadership and its government had treated us,” he said.

Mr Shah said the Sindh government under him had cleared all electricity dues of the federal government; even then the province was condemned to endure unbearable loadshedding.

He expressed his dismay on Shahbaz Sharif’s claim that PML-N government had ended loadshedding in the country.

“I am surprised on his claim. Has he ever visited the rural parts of Sindh where 18 to 19 hours of loadshedding is routinely being exercised,” he said, adding, “our people in this sweltering weather are leading miserable life due to prolonged power outages and on top of it Hesco and other power companies are handing inflated bills to poor people. All this shows the PML-N government’s real contribution.”

Mr Shah criticised the past PML-N government’s economic policies because of which rupee was now facing worst ever depreciation against dollar.

“You (PML-N government) were offering artificial oxygen to the economy which did not last long, and when it was removed devaluation of the rupee harmed the economy a great deal. Still, you Mr Shahbaz Sharif are falsely claiming that you have broken the begging bowl. In reality, your policies have broken the back of poor people.”

Mr Shah expressed his surprise over PML-N leader’s claim to make Pakistan a welfare state.

“Your policies are against the poor and you have further suppressed the downtrodden. How will this substantiate your claims to make Pakistan a welfare state?”

The former Sindh CM dismissed the PML-N’s claim about its contribution in bringing about peace in the city after decades of bloodletting.

He said the PML-N government had paid lip service when targeted operations had been launched in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2018