KARACHI, June 6: Sindh chief minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar made it clear on Friday that there would be no compromises on the rights of Sindh.
“The Sindh government will not surrender the rights of Sindh and not a single drop of water from its share will be allowed to be taken away,” the chief minister said while talking to newsmen after a dinner at the Chief Minister’s House.
Speaking about the construction of the Thal canal, he said that the minister for water and power, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, had assured him that the Raini and Thal canals were, in fact, flood canals where only flood water would only be diverted.
Sardar Mahar said that his government was fully aware of the on-going water and power crisis in the city and had summoned a meeting on June 13 of the concerned officials to find out ways and means to provide relief to the people.
“Karachi is the heart of the country where law and order has improved considerably, and the groups involved in criminal and sabotage activities have been arrested”.
“No one will be allowed to spoil peace in the city”, he said, adding the law and order would be maintained at all costs.
Flanked by the Chief Secretary, Muttawakkal Qazi, and IGP Syed Kamal Shah, Mr Mahar was frank enough to inform the media that in the public sector, particularly in education, health and police departments 25,000 jobs would be provided soon to educated unemployed youths for which his government had convinced the IMF and the World Bank.
He said it was not possible to provide employment to all the jobless in the public sector. However, with the improvement in law and order situation, local entrepreneurs would come forward, make an investment by setting up new factories which would generate new opportunities for absorbing the unemployed manpower.
Calling upon the people to join hands with the government in maintaining law and order in the province, he said if there would be a law and order problem in the province, local investors would not come forward and if there would be no local investment, foreign investors would never make any investment.
“Our doors are open for people. We are elected people and the media has full freedom to project problems of the people which help the government in reaching the neglected sectors,” he said.
The chief minister termed his understanding with the governor exemplary and said during the last five months there had been no element of mistrust between him and the governor.
“After all we are coalition partners. The MQM has 12 ministers in the cabinet and we all are here to serve the people and this objective can only be achieved by working with a team spirit. This is the only way to serve the country and make it stronger,” the chief minister said.
Regarding government’s strategy for the budget session, he said that the federal government had its own strategy while Punjab and Sindh would have their own strategies how to meet the situation amid opposition’s plan for a protest.
Replying to a question about Sindh government’s expenses on the rangers, the chief minister said that the rangers’ expenses are borne by the federal government.