HYDERABAD: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has attributed rising street crime graph to unemployment, illegal immigrants and price hike, and pledged creation of job opportunities in the farm and industrial sectors to lessen youths’ dependence on government jobs.

He said that agriculture and industrial sectors would be strengthened to create job opportunities.

He said that efforts were being made by the chief minister, home department and provincial police chief to control street crime.

He was speaking to journalists at his residence here after offering Eidul Fitr prayers on Wednesday.

He also expressed his party’s views on some judge’s recent moves and said “judges should give up double standards”.

“Letters are being written for a convict who has been sentenced only a few months back; why didn’t judges write letters on excesses committed against politicians of Sindh?” he wondered.

He claimed that Justice Saqib Nisar had supported [Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman] Imran Khan in every possible way whereas [Pakistan Peoples Party leader] Asif Zardari had been kept in jail for 14 years without having been convicted.

“Why didn’t judges write letter on Asif Zardari’s imprisonment or unjust hanging of [PPP founder chairman] Zulfikar Ali Bhutto?” he argued.

He further claimed that the judiciary did have evidence of foreign funding in PTI still it was being supported; and the party’s another leader, Qasim Suri, was granted stay order by Justice Umer Atta Bandial.

He viewed such things as double standards of judiciary, and remarked that “some particular people are supported and their actions are facilitated by the system as well”.

In this regard, the minister also recalled that one PPP leader was disqualified for not showing a member of his family in his declaration but such an identical point in Imran Khan’s case was treated as his personal matter.

PPP’s policies

He said Asif Zardari [who has just started his second tenure as head of the state] had previously introduced positive policies. He claimed that Mr Zardari’s successive visits to China [during his previous tenure] had given Pakistan the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but the project at that time had been criticised. Later on, however, other political parties started claiming credit for it, he noted, and said that Mr Zardari “prefers trade over aid”.

Agriculture sector

Sharjeel Memon observed that Pakistan had fertile lands but the farm sector and rural areas had not been paid due attention by other ruling parties. However, PPP always focused this sector and rural areas in terms of development. He pointed out that wheat had to be imported during Musharraf regime and when PPP government headed by Mr Zardari started paying due attention to this sector and increased wheat support price, Sindh produced bumper crop and had now become in a position to even export the commodity.

BISP

The provincial information minister also recalled that the Benazir Income Support Programme launched by the PPP used to be criticised by the party’s opponents but it greatly helped collect the data that was now being used in the wake of disasters and natural calamities for providing relief to affected people.

Bus service for Mirpurkhas

The minister said the Sindh government was bringing about an improvement in the transport sector, and announced that Peoples Bus Service was being launched in Mirpurkhas shortly. Introduction of electric buses in Karachi was also under consideration, he added.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2024