KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said on Sunday that no prime minister had ever asked any chief minister to come to the airport to receive him, as provincial chief executives received the premier upon his visits to the provinces as a symbol of respect.

The governor said this while talking to the media after inquiring about the health of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Khwaja Izharul Hasan, who was injured in a traffic accident and admitted to a local hospital.

He was asked to comment on chief minister’s law adviser Murtaza Wahab’s claim that CM Murad Ali Shah was not invited to any of the events attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan during his two-day visit to Sindh.

“Nowhere any prime minister ever asked a chief minister to come to airport to receive him but the chief ministers used to come to the airport to receive the PM as a show of respect for him,” he said.

Says a chief minister welcomes the prime minister during his visit to the province as a mark of respect

Mr Wahab had on Saturday alleged that the CM was not invited to PM’s functions due to the fear that he would raise questions about outstanding dues, supremacy of the Constitution, National Finance Commission award, and rights over gas and electricity.

In reply to another question, Governor Ismail said that the Sindh government needed not to be worried about the Rs162 billion Karachi development package announced by PM Khan as the money would not be deducted from the province’s NFC share.

On the contrary, the Sindh government ought to welcome the projects announced for Sindh and Karachi, he added.

PPP slams PM for ‘ignoring’ constitution

PPP leader and Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said that the prime minister was unaware of the Constitution and the law and “during the past eight months he had not once opened the book of Constitution and the law”.

He was speaking at a press conference at the Media Centre in Bilawal House along with party leaders Rashid Rabbani, Waqar Mehdi, Javed Nagori and others.

He regretted that the prime minister, federal ministers and the governor, who he said had been inducted at the behest of “someone”, were even not aware of protocol, law and the Constitution.

Mr Ghani said that the PPP even before the general elections knew that a

conspiracy was hatched against the 18th Amendment and on Saturday the PM himself spoke against the landmark legislation that the 18th amendment had made the country bankrupt.

He said the country was made bankrupt by an incompetent and inexperienced prime minister and his incompetent cabinet.

He said any party or a government which would become part of the conspiracy against the 18th Amendment would play with the solidarity of the country and weaken its foundation.

In reply to a question, he said that the PPP leadership emerged victorious from the courts in the past and even now it would seek justice from the courts.

He said NAB had wrapped up the cases of Aleema Khan and Jehangir Tareen.

In reply to another question, he said that the Sindh governor was not aware of any rules when he spoke as it was obligatory on him to follow the advice of the chief minister.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2019