LARKANA: Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Saeed Ghani has said that National Accountability Bureau’s actions are creating difficulties for Sindh government to execute day to day affairs and accused the federal anti-graft agency of overstepping its authority in the province.

Talking to journalists after offering fateha and laying wreaths on Bhuttos’ graves in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto on Sunday the minister said: “We’ve no objection to NAB’s work if it remains within its constitutional limits but we feel it [NAB] is crossing its constitutional authority in Sindh,” he said.

He said that they were aware NAB was empowered to investigate graft cases but unfortunately Sindh was facing what he called targeted actions by the bureau.

He said that NAB’s stepped up actions in Sindh had made the officers jittery and reluctant to go ahead with development works because they feared having to face inquiries in future after completion of works during the party’s tenure.

“I am personally thinking of inviting officers of NAB, court registry, FIA and Anti-Corruption Establishment to witness the process of tenders so as to assure them that all works are being carried out in accordance with law and set procedure,” said Mr Ghani.

He claimed the investigation agencies were in the habit of initiating action after completion of projects and schemes on the basis of shortfalls and lacunas in the process or completion of development works.

He said that a large number of employees recruited under a contingency plan in different districts had been fired on the directives of judicial commission on water, which led to worsening of sanitation issues in Larkana and elsewhere.

He said that he had convened a meeting of mayors and chairmen of Larkana and Sukkur divisions on Monday to try to hammer out a permanent solution to the problem in the light of the commission’s decision.

Mr Ghani conceded the issue of unpaid salaries in local bodies department and said that it was restricted to certain districts only. A committee would be constituted soon to work exclusively on the resolution of the issue of pensions and arrears of employees, he said.

SUKKUR: The minister told media persons in Jacobabad on Sunday that the PTI leaders who were talking against the 18th Amendment knew nothing about Constitution.

The talk of abrogating the amendment would be considered a conspiracy against the country because the amendment had strengthened the bond of trust between smaller provinces and big province of Punjab, he said.

He said that under the separation of powers the prime minister, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief of Army Staff, chief ministers and provincial ministers had to exercise their authorities keeping within the limits demarcated by Constitution.

He said that the Constitution authorised the federal government to impose governor’s rule but made it subject to special conditions. There were no such conditions as to justify governor’s rule in Sindh, he said.

He said that attempts were being made to malign Pakistan Peoples Party with stories about bank accounts but soon this new drama would also run out it course and prove to be fake.

The minister said in answer to a question that Nawaz Sharif’s refusal to meet Asif Zardari was his own decision and such things was part of normality as every party had to follow its own policy.

He said that in recent past a vicious propaganda was spread about grouping in PPP but it proved false as the total number of votes polled to PPP saw a steady increase after every election.

He said that he had visited site of water supply scheme where work was under way in coordination with USAID. It would soon be completed to supply clean and purified drinking water to Jacobabad people, he said.

Published in Dawn, October 29th , 2018

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