News Analysis |
The former chief minister Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, lambasted former Punjab chief minister and president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) – Shahbaz Sharif for making a number of tall claims to transform the Karachi city, if elected on July 25.
PML-N chief came under intense scrutiny after his jokes regarding Karachi people triggered a massive response from politicians and public alike. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and MQM-P leaders condemned Shahbaz Sharif for playing with the sentiments of the people.
He triggered the ire among the people for making fun of the Urdu speaking population. He joked that he will turn the ‘paan chewing Karan-chi into Lahore’.
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PTI’s leader Imran Ismail also hit back at Shahbaz for his “paan-chewing Karanchi” comment and asserted that “eating paan is a part of our culture.”
During his day-long visit on Monday, Shahbaz visited various areas of the city including PPP stronghold Lyari. He addressed the gatherings at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) office, Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum, and in Baldia Town constituency.
Mr. Shah, he reprimanded Sharif for deliberately failing the industrial economy of the city. It was PPP government which fought the case against the controlled gas load-shedding, he asserted.
He made a number of promises to the people of Karachi and took potshots at the Sindh government. He claims to solve the issues of water shortage, electricity crises, solid waste management, reducing the cost of doing business and non-existent mass public transport system.
PPP which miserably failed to solve the above-mentioned problems and did not take the required steps to improve the healthcare, education, industry, and public transport in the city, responded angrily.
Rather than taking the responsibility for its failure, former Sindh CM criticized the former PML-N government for refusing to give Sindh its due share in water, power and the National Finance Commission [award].
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Shah claimed that PML-N government refused to allocate a fair share of water to Sindh and rejected the provincial request in the Council of Common Interests meeting. On November 26, during the 35th CCI meeting, Murad Ali Shah accused the bureaucracy of holding on to funds, which delayed the completion of the infrastructure projects in the city.
When 5-years was about to complete, Sindh government akin to other provincial governments made attempts to complete the projects in hand with speed to woo voters for the upcoming general elections.
PPP which miserably failed to solve the above-mentioned problems and did not take the required steps to improve the healthcare, education, industry, and public transport in the city, responded angrily.
It blames center for its failures. People are deprived of their rudimentary requirements and injustice is widespread. Media has reported widely on the plight of people in the province. It fails to witness any major improvement in the infrastructure across the province.
It has potential to directly affect their chances of winning as Pakistan’s politics revolves around the local and provincial work which is physically apparent to people. Having seen the plight of people in Karachi, PML-N is trying to cease the situation to woo voters, when Karachites are struggling to receive water, let alone clean drinking water.
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Shahbaz claimed that “he will provide water to the people of Karachi within the next three years.” PPP confronts Sharif for making a false promise as it was his government which denied Karachi its share of water. Shah also accused the PML-N government for deliberately resorting to prolonged gas load-shedding in Karachi to persuade the industrial units to relocate to Punjab.
Since Shehbaz sought the help of the FPCCI to show confidence in the PML-N to overcome all the ills and challenges facing the industry. It did not go down well with Mr. Shah, he reprimanded Sharif for deliberately failing the industrial economy of the city. It was PPP government which fought the case against the controlled gas load-shedding, he asserted.
He also played the Sindh-card saying that PML-N has always pursued anti-Sindh policies and totally ignored the city despite the fact that it generates the bulk of the revenue for the country.
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Shahbaz blamed PPP for delaying the BRT Green Bus project, and PPP claimed that it could not complete in last four-years because it fell victim to federal governments disinterest. Moreover, it was only initiated after PPP had made repeated efforts to convince center to spend in Sindh.
With elections due in less than a months’ time, Karachi is center of attention for all the parties, post-MQM’s existential crises. In election season, slogans from political parties are not the welcome change required in the city of lights. Ever increasing population of the Karachi needs actions, rather than empty election rhetoric.