KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party — a key ally of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government in the centre — has accused the federal government of “blatant injustices” with the people of Karachi and other parts of Sindh, saying that Karachi’s crucial water supply project K-IV and several other schemes in rural parts of the province are facing “risks of severe delays” due to “failure” of Islamabad to release the required funds.

The remarks from the PPP sparked an angry response from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which hit back and came up with a counter allegation, saying that it was the Sindh government which had “actually ignored Karachi and people of Sindh”.

First it was Sindh PPP general secretary Senator Waqar Mehdi who expressed “deep concern over the federal government’s failure to release essential funds for Sindh’s major development projects”.

Senator Mehdi, who’s also the special assistant to the CM, called it “a blatant injustice” with the people of Sindh.

PPP, PML-N leaders accuse each other of ‘neglecting’ development in Karachi and other districts of Sindh

“Withholding funds for critical initiatives in the province, which contributes highest revenue to the federation, is a blatant injustice,” he said in a statement. “The federal government must adopt an equitable approach toward all provinces, ensuring that each unit benefits from national resources without discrimination.”

He highlighted the K-IV water supply project, calling it crucial for Karachi’s population of over 20 million, which was scheduled to be completed in 2026.

He said that the federal government allocated only Rs15 billion for the Rs130bn-plus project in the previous fiscal year and continued this “minimal” funding in the current year.

“Such negligence risks severe delays and constitutes an unfair dismissal of Karachi’s needs,” he warned.

Senator Mehdi also criticised the federal government’s lack of commitment to the Jamshoro-Sehwan dual carriageway project, which had “suffered similar neglect”.

Despite the Sindh government’s already providing its share of funding for the road, the project is still languishing, leading to frequent fatal accidents and impeding the reduction of traffic congestion on Hyderabad-Sukkur Highway.

He also expressed disappointment over the stalling of other approved projects worth Rs49 billion under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and called for immediate action to ensure their timely completion.

PML-N hits back

The PML-N reacted strongly to the PPP’s criticism.

The general secretary of Karachi chapter of the ruling party at the Centre, Nasiruddin Mahmood, rejected the claims and said that the federal government under the documented NFC protocols had always paid its share to the province.

“Despite the fact that the K-IV project is not envisaged by the PML-N government, it was Nawaz Sharif who after becoming prime minister in 2013 had provided the funding for the completion of the project. However, due to delays during the PTI government between 2018 and 2022 and dollar-rupee parity, the project cost has grown and led to financial issues,” he said.

He insisted that the PPP government had not only “ignored” the development of Karachi, but also other parts of Sindh, as despite bagging NFC share and earning through taxes, it had “not performed up to the mark” and shifting the blame to the federal government.

Mr Mahmood said that the Punjab government from its Rs45 billion share of the NFC Award had not only carried out development projects, but also provided relief to the people of the province in power bills through subsidies for three months.

“The PPP government in Sindh should answer that what it has done for its people from the huge NFC Award,” he quipped.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024