KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that neither the federal government nor the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had approached him with ‘concerns’ regarding the National Finance Commission (NFC) award or the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

He said this while talking to the media after attending the launch of the World Bank’s latest editions of the South Asia Development Update (SADU) and the Pakistan Development Update (PDU) for October 2024 at a local hotel.

The chief minister said that the federal government had started implementing 18th Amendment by devolving and winding up some of its ministries.

Mr Shah, however, said that the provincial government had reservations about some other matters, and he was in discussions with the federal government. “The Pakistan Peoples Party would only support measures that are in the interest of the country.”

In response to a question, Mr Shah said that he learnt from media that the federal government had terminated power purchase contracts with five independent power producers (IPPs), which is expected to reduce electricity tariffs.

The chief minister suggested that the government should take steps to utilise surplus electricity, proposing that industrial units could be offered electricity at subsidised rates if they increased their production capacity by starting additional night shifts.

“This would help offset capacity charges paid to the IPPs by the federal government, improve production, and create job opportunities for unemployed workers,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2024