KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will inaugurate country’s first lung transplant project at the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (Gims) on Wednesday (tomorrow).

This was stated by Sindh government spokesman and Chief Minister’s Law Adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab at a press conference.

He said that the provincial government was carrying out projects for the convenience of the people and the lungs transplant project at the Gims, a non-profit public higher education institute located in the small city of Khairpur, was part of such efforts.

Referring to the death anniversary of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he said that the Bhutto family was waiting for justice regarding the murder of the PPP founder even after 44 years.

Barrister Wahab said that in view of inflation, the provincial government had decided to provide relief to the people, under which 7.8 million people whose monthly income was lower than Rs50,000 were being provided Rs2,000 each to buy floor.

He said that despite the current financial difficulties, the provincial cabinet decided that a subsidy of Rs15 billion would be given in Ramzan.

“The flour will be provided to those whose income is less than Rs50,000. In the first phase, from March 29 to April 2, total 1,616,422 deserving people received money to purchase flour,” he said,adding that money would be provided to all 7.8m people by April 15.

He said that those who did not receive the message should meet the Benazir Income Support Programme teams.

Barrister Wahab said that the job of the chief justice of Pakistan was to decide the matters according to the Constitution and law. “If the prime minister is not the government alone, then the chief justice is not the Supreme Court alone,” he added

In response to a question, the provincial government spokesperson said that a surge in targeted killing and street crimes cases was indeed a big problem.

“The case of Dr Birbal is deplorable, and an investigation is going on in this regard,” he said and added that the gang involved in the murder had been tracked down.

He said that the province where the gas was discovered had the first right on the natural resource. “The Sindh government is constantly in contact with the prime minister on the issue of gas shortage in the province,” he added.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2023