KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said on Thursday that he had conveyed reservations over the action recently taken by the FIA and the NAB in the province to the prime minister and the federal interior minister.

He said the Federal Investi­gation Agency had raided government offices, taken away files and arrested some employees while the National Accounta­bility Bureau had suddenly become active and arrested the excise and taxation secretary from Shikarpur.

He criticised Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain for seeking help from foreign countries, particularly India, and said no true Pakistani could think of seeking Indian interference in the affairs of the country.

The chief minister was addressing a press conference at the Sindh Assembly’s committee room after presiding over a meeting of his cabinet.

“We don’t want confrontation with anyone, but will certainly protect our rights granted by the constitution to the provinces under the 18th Amendment,” he said.

During the last visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Karachi, he said, he had drawn his attention to the developments and he had promised to look into the issue. “Since no progress has been made so far, we have decided to adopt legal course and are consulting legal experts in this regard.”

He said the cabinet meeting discussed interference of the FIA and the NAB in provincial affairs, the flood situation and the projects being executed under the Annual Development Plan.

He said the report recently submitted by NAB to the Supreme Court did not reflect rampant corruption in Sindh.

He said after the 18th Amendment, corruption had become a provincial subject and his government had taken action against some officials of up to grade 19. Cases against them are pending in courts.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2015

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