KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the dream of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leadership to bring a change in the provincial government would never come true because they don’t have numerical strength in the provincial assembly.

The chief minister said this while talking to the media on two different occasions on Wednesday.

In reply to a question, he said that the federal government was hatching conspiracies against the Sindh government.

Says MQM-controlled district Central littered with filth and garbage

“If you weaken the provinces you are weakening the federation,” he said, adding that the person who had no experience of government and its system had been made prime minister.

“Now, under the influence of power he [prime minister] has started conducting experiments on the people of Pakistan. But under his first experiment he deprived the poor of square meals by unleashing the tsunami of price hike in the country,” he said.

Mr Shah said that the prime minister was considering everyone as thief and dacoit, forgetting that he himself was facing NAB cases.

“You cannot rule by suppressing the people and throttling their voice but you have to deal with everyone like a good human being,” he said and added that he could not silence the people from raising the voice for their rights.

When asked about the government’s amnesty scheme, he said personally he was against any amnesty schemes because it legalises ill-gotten wealth people have amassed over the years.

The chief minister said that as the amnesty scheme had failed they started conducting raids on the houses of people. “Where we are leading this nation by creating a wave of fear, unrest and insecurity?” he asked.

He warned that the people would take their capital and business to other countries.

In reply to a question about the arrest of PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, he said this kind of political victimisation would further undermine the credibility of the government.

He condemned his arrest and said: “You [PM] are behaving like a dictator and damaging political people. The arrest of Rana Sanaullah would prove to be a charge-sheet against the prime minister.”

Banners against Sindh govt

When asked to comment over banners against the Sindh government hung by a political party, the chief minister said that they were making failed attempts to again hijack the people of Karachi.

“They have never raised voice for the rights of the people of this city but they have always ditched their voters,” he said, adding that his government was carrying out development works in the city and serving the people without any discrimination.

“We know we don’t have any MPA in Shaheed-i-Millat, Tariq Road, University Road, Sharea Faisal and various others areas of the city; even then we reconstructed road network, laid drainage lines afresh and [are] trying to resolve other issues sincerely,” he claimed.

He said those who put up banners against his government had always played politics of destruction, hatred, division and destabilisation in this city. “People of Karachi know their friends and foes very well and they would never be influenced by their crocodile tears,” he said.

He promised solution of water, sanitation, and cleanliness of the metropolis.

‘District Central is full of filth and garbage’

The CM said that he visited district Central and found that it was “full of filth and garbage”. He said that the chairman of the district municipal corporation was from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.

“We have provided funds and they have their own resources and sufficient sanitation staff. Then why they were not pressing their chairman to clean the district?” he said.

Talking about the performance of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the chief minister said that it had failed to achieve all its revenue targets for the past many years.

Instead of tapping new revenue sources and enhancing and achieving recovery targets, the Karachi mayor was always seen blaming the Sindh government for his failures.

He said the KMC has completely failed to undertake any tangible exercise to control its non-development expenditures, rationalise overcrowded staff, undertake proper use of its funds and resources.

“We are facing a financial crunch. Even then we have given sufficient funds to the KMC so that it can serve people of this city but they lack sincerity and will to serve the people of this city,” he said.

He said that the court has asked the Sindh government to work out a method to clear Rs580 million electricity bills of the KMC up to March. The provincial government against Rs580m electricity bills had already paid over Rs320m and the remaining amount would also be paid.

“But how long the provincial government would be paying power bills of the KMC?” he asked and questioned why the KMC was not creating its own resources.

The CM said that presently 400-450 MGD water was being supplied to the city against the requirements of around 1,200 MGD.

“The solution of this water shortage lies in the completion of the K-IV project,” he said and added the federal government was not ready to talk to the Sindh government on K-IV and other projects.

To a question, the chief minister said that he had no knowledge about the request of a consultant of a private power plant, Khursheed Jamali, to the National Accountability Bureau for plea bargain.

“I have nothing to do with the power plant — I was just a provincial minister and had not executed installation or procurement of the power plant,” he said and added: “Some political actors were spreading baseless propaganda against me. I am not scared of such propaganda because it has no foundation or base.

Meeting with Bohra community

Referring to his visit to the educational institutions in North Nazimabad, the chief minister said the Dawoodi Bohra community had established a world class educational institution — Al-Jamea-tus-Saifiyah — where over 500 students, girls and boys, from Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and various other countries were being imparted religious education with modern techniques.

He was happy to see the discipline, values and dedication among the students and told the Bohra Jamaat: “You are peace-loving people who have contributed a lot in the development of this city.”

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2019