Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Friday, lashed out at the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led Sindh government, regarding its governance in the province as a “total failure”.
The Premier made these comments during his interactions with a delegation of parliamentarians from Sindh, hailing from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its political allies.
The delegation, led by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, included Kishwar Zehra, Khawaja Izhar-ul Hassan, Hameedul Zafar, Faisal Sabzwari, Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Zulfiqar Mirza, Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi, Ghaus Bux Mahar, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)’s Rashid Khilji, amongst other leaders.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Naeem-ul Haq, Ali Haider Zaidi, and Khurram Sher Zaman, amongst other lawmakers, were also present at the meeting.
وزیراعظم عمران خان سے صوبہ سندھ سے تعلق رکھنے والے اتحادی جماعتوں کے ممبران کی گورنر سندھ عمران اسماعیل کی سربراہی میں اسلام آباد میں ملاقات ۔
ملاقات میں صوبہ سندھ میں جاری فلاحی و ترقیاتی منصوبوں پر پیشرفت کے امور پر بریفنگ ۔ pic.twitter.com/T9ldBuiJoq
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) December 6, 2019
Jihad against Corruption
The Prime Minister met the delegation of Sindh parliamentarians at the Prime Minister House and briefed them on the ongoing development projects for uplifting the province.
The Premier said that prosperity and progress for the people of Sindh is one of the major priorities of the incumbent government. He stressed upon his resolve to play a pivotal role in improving the political situation in the province and added that the government must serve all the people without any discrimination.
He said that the PTI government is focused on eliminating the scourge of corruption. “We will not tolerate corruption as it has thwarted the development of the country.”
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Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “There will be no doctrine of necessity or deal, I have arrived to fight Jihad against corruption.”
The participants of the meeting apprised the Premier about the challenges faced in implementing the federal government’s road map for the prosperity of the Sindhi people. They agreed that the focal persons will be positioned in federal ministries, which are relevant to the challenges of Sindh.
Sources reveal that the Premier said that evidence of the billions worth of corruption has emerged, and therefore, the political climate of Sindh is doused with anxiety. He said, “Accountability will occur and everyone will have their turn. There is no place for the corrupt in the country.”
Failures of CM Sindh
The lawmakers from Sindh highlighted the negligence of the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and raised demands of taking legal action against him.
The Sindh lawmakers said that the PPP-led provincial government is negligent of both, the rural and urban areas. They highlighted that the federal institutions in Sindh were also non-cooperative and given the attitude of CM Murad Ali Shah, no development project can be concluded in Sindh.
They also highlighted the challenges of the limiting powers of the Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police. Requesting the Prime Minister, the Sindh lawmakers urged that the gas royalties paid to Sindh must be directed towards areas that would uplift the poverty-ridden people of Sindh.
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The lawmakers asked the Premier if a deal has been brokered between the PPP and the Federal government. The Premier responded that no deal has been brokered and there will be no compromise in the future.
Leaders from the MQM demanded the federal governments for funds for the municipal corporations in Karachi and Hyderabad. Planning Minister Asad Umar was directed to issue the funds for the development of the province.