HYDERABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) secretary general Aamir Mehmood Kiyani has said that Pakistan Peoples Party’s government has failed to take full advantage of 18th Amendment to develop Sindh over its 12-year rule.

Mr Kiyani said at a news conference at Ghumman House in Hala Naka on Monday that there had been no significant change in conditions across Sindh, particularly in Karachi, because both PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz were in fact regional parties which wanted to “abuse” the 18th Amendment for their vested interests only.

He said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was concerned about increase in political activities these days but he should not be worried if he had delivered the goods in the province.

He said the PTI government launched Ehsaas programme and distributed Rs200 billion transparently among the poorest people of the country. The government kept it out of politics though some party comrades and leaders urged the PM to take political mileage out of it, he said.

He said that the prime minister sought help from friendly states to pay billions of rupees of loans. With renewed trust in the government record remittances were sent by overseas Pakistanis and the remittances rose by 12.5 per cent, he said.

He said the government had allotted Rs100bn for youth and now it was going to give another Rs100bn to them to generate jobs and promote economy. Regarding tax collection, he said that around 800,000 tax filers had been included in the tax net and tax collection rose 28pc this time.

Mr Kiyani said that exports had risen 13-14pc while the biggest package was given to construction industry which involved about 50 other industries. Dams were being built and Karachi Stock Exchange was skyrocketing. “These are positive indicators which show economic improvements have bolstered the national economy,” he said.

He said that the coronavirus crisis had weakened many developed countries because of lacklustre trade activities but Imran Khan’s idea of smart lockdown, which was accepted by world leaders and made Pakistan third country in the world to deal with the pandemic efficiently, saved the country, he said, adding that now businesses were opening and economy was growing fast.

He said in answer to a question that Hyderabad should have a university and as it was the second major city of the province. “We had to divert Rs500 billion to face the coronavirus over past six months,” he said.

About actions of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said that 90pc NAB cases against opposition leaders were framed by previous governments and they were unable to provide satisfactory answers to the graft investigation agency about skyrocketing of their assets over 30 years.

He said in answer to a question about missing persons that there was poor law and order situation in entire Sindh where criminals were free to commit robberies on highways. The provincial government must address it while “we will also highlight this issue,” he said.

He advised Sindh rulers and top government functionaries to get medical treatment at local hospitals, admit their children to government’s educational institutions and appear on streets and roads to experience people’s problems and resolve them forthwith.

Prime minister’s coordinator Ahmed Khan Niazi and other party leaders also accompanied Mr Kiyani.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2020