Will no longer tolerate bias against Sindh, reiterates Murad Ali Shah

[Areesh]

No. I am just repeating my stance of Civil disobedience against PPP led provincial government (by the people of Karachi and urban Sindh). I want every student, teacher, businessman, offices employees, factory workers, trade unions, transport unions to come on road and for once act in favor of Karachi.

Agreed

 

[Nasr]

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday hit back at the government over alleged bias in allocating funds for development projects, adding that the provincial government would "no longer tolerate it".

Addressing a press conference, Shah said: "Don't make an East India Company here. We will not tolerate it, we will resist. Don't treat Sindh in this way and don't create two Pakistans.

"The federal government is spending money on the provinces. Fine, but at least consult with us and look at the priorities. We are the representatives.," he said, adding that it was obvious other priorities were being looked at when making allocations for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

It is not a good thing that you are going to union councils to make roads and drains under the prime minister's programme, he said.

Shah also said that schemes were allocated in the PDSP without informing the province due to "pressure". "During one of the meetings, a gentlemen said that their hands were tied due to pressure from MNAs and MPAs. I stayed quiet, but this is contempt of court," he said, stating that the Supreme Court had said funds could not be given to MNAs and MPAs.

Union Council schemes for Gujrat and Bahawalpur were included in the prime ministers' programme, he said, adding that this was being done as the government was facing "problems" with the voter bank in these areas.

"Many of the PDSP schemes are for south Punjab because they are facing issues there." He stated that development funds should be given to the provinces so that they can address the needs of the people.

"They say they will give funds to the people of Sindh, not the government. Why is this only applicable to Sindh? They used to say Pakistan is one not two. Is this one Pakistan?"

The chief minister made it clear that his grievances were with the federal government and not with the other provinces.

"I am elated when I hear about development in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. this is only for comparison, to show the discrimination against us. Spend four times as much money [in other provinces]. but if you do that then give us more too."

He claimed that allocations for development projects were being done "directly from Islamabad" to address "drains in union councils".

Letter to PM Imran
Last week, Shah had urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to reconsider the proposed PDSP, terming it lopsided as it was ‘detrimental’ to the interests of people living in the province.

In a strongly worded letter to the prime minister, he said ever since the current federal government came to power, it was treating Sindh with an abject bias. "Grave injustice is being meted out to the people of Sindh ever since the current federal government came into power in August 2018," he wrote in the letter.

Giving the four-year break-up of the number of schemes and their allocation for provincially executed projects for Sindh in the PSDP, he said only six schemes with a total allocation of Rs5,069.14 million were proposed in 2021, while the number of schemes in 2017-18 was 27 with a total allocation of Rs23,387.21m.

He said there were 10 schemes with allocation of Rs8,302m in 2020-21, 13 schemes of Rs8.508.85m in 2019-20 and 22 schemes with allocation of 14,266.72m in 2018-19.

A day later, federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar hit back at Shah over his letter and affirmed the federal government’s commitment to development projects in Sindh.

Umar said if the allocations set aside for federal projects in Sindh in the last three years of the previous government were compared to the incumbent government's three years, then there was an increase of more than 32 per cent.

He hit out at CM Murad and alleged he was "confused" and couldn't differentiate between the people of the province and the provincial government. "Chief minister sahab you are definitely [a part of] Sindh's government but you are not Sindh's masses and we have to spend money on Sindh's people, not the government," Umar said.

Umar claimed that previously, funds sent to the provincial government had instead been diverted to other purposes such as accumulating properties and assets instead of being spent on Sindh and the people of the province were aware about this.

He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan had within one year announced two historic development packages for Sindh which covered rural and urban areas with a total of 18 districts being covered under the two packages.

Will no longer tolerate bias against Sindh, reiterates Murad Ali Shah

Says federal govt is spending money on development projects without consulting with the provinces.

www.dawn.com

If the leadership in Sindh ever had any honesty, integrity, honor, love for Pakistan, then it wouldn't be talking trash today.

 

[TigerOfMysore]

Did I say I want Jam Sadiq himself??? It was an example of a guy matching in political cunningness with Zardari to politically put PPP in place.

Anyway, watch this interview by Saheen Sehbai. A veteran political commentator in Pakistan whom I used to read in the 1980s. He is saying some very serious things not just for Sindh but also for the Fed. Govt and for the stability of Pakistan. He is exactly on the same page as me: PPP is going to play the Sindh Card to win the next elections and that there will be a strong reaction from the Urdu Speakers. The burning of Baharia Town Karachi was the first salvo by PPP while hiding behind other forces and there are going to be MORE and MORE such incidents.

These guys truly have an art to extend 5 mins of substantive talk into 20 minutes.
Painful.

 

[xyxmt]

I second Murad Ali Shah and demand that IK should not show any bias towards sind and remove the corrupt Sindhi govt as he has done in other 3 provinces.

 

[PakAlp]

PPP always uses indirect threats of breaking up Pakistan. I remember a few years back Bilawal or Zardari made statements like. "The federation is in threat". This is a hint towards establishment that if you dare to remove us or bypass us we will make life hell for you. Just like MQM used to blackmail PPP, the same way PPP is blackmailing Establishment and PTI. PPP doesn't like the idea of devolving the power to the masses because the lote at the top will not get the funds, if no funds then they will loose influence and then loose power.

I believe all the roads, highways, drains, electricity, gas, oil etc should be fixed by the central government. Make a National Authority which fixes the roads, highways etc. If no work is done then we know exactly whom to blame.

Pakistan needs a patriotic Political party in Sindh. I had my hopes on PSP but its too early for them, APML is a flop.

 

[ziaulislam]

LOL, good to see PTI govt is bypassing Sindh govt over developmental projects in Sindh. This is pissing them off lately. No corruption for PeePeePee. 18th ammendment can go to hell.

They are not bypassing 18 amendement
Sindh is gettong trillions of dollars
But they are upset about another trillion dollar being spent on karachi which they arent getting comission

 

[S.Y.A]

You just post a boast but then before it can walk you break it's legs by actually stating a fact " It is a consequence of geography ".

You are aware Karachi was already a shining port and city before 1947? In fact it was probably the best kept, best developed in South Asia. All those old buildings you have in Karachi are testament to that. Nothing significant has happened to Karachi post 1946 other than becoming huge but that is reflectin of Pakistan. Karachi was the only port of the Sindh, Punjab, NWFP, Kashmir before 1947.

As Pakistan grew so did it's only port. You make it sound like there was miracle in Karachi after 1947. In fact it just got bigger and dirtier. Miracles are places like Singapore.

Karachi was entrepot for the Indus Basin before 1947 thanks to geography and the British building the Indus rail line. Sort of original CPEC. Today it's exactly same as entrepot. only Pakistan has gotten 7 times bigger in population leading to extra trade.

....and it was a part of Sindh in which the waderas could have invested and set up factories and industries, and they could have tried to emulate its development in their areas, and developed schools, colleges and hospitals. Which they didnt. If anyone is to blame, its the elite of Sindh, who now form a major part of PPP. they literally have billions stashed away, what is stopping them from setting up factories like the migrants? what is stopping them from setting up schools and colleges like the Parsis, and the migrants?

If your argument is that Karachi was a port city that is why migrants were able to do so, then Lahore wasnt a port city, neither were Sailkot and Faisalabad. Hyderabad was the capital of Sindh before British takeover, and was the principle city even after the British, it had major glasswork industry, it is not the fault of migrants that it wasnt developed further.

 

[S.Y.A]

It is a stupid idea to make a separate Karachi province, the establishment should force the parties to sit down and draw up an act that grants autonomy to city/local govts, just like 18th amendment does to Provincial govts.

It is not the job of provincial or federal govts to build roads and drains and to collect garbage. The sooner PPP idiots understand this, the better it will be. In all their years of rule, from bhutto till now, they have given nothing but corruption and degradation of infrastructure to the people of their province, and yet politicians like khursheed shah have the audacity to claim that if anyone wants to experience development, they should come to Sindh.

 

[M.AsfandYar]

Does it say what percentage?

Yes it does

 

[Baby Leone]

will no longer tolerate now? mean they were tolerating earlier? why?

 

[hydrabadi_arab]

And?? Karachi got destroyed because of over-population and bad governance. I bet many other parts of Pakistan were also 'cleaner' under the British rule but got dirtier and chaotic because of the population growth. And so did Karachi. It almost had to: A large influx of people in an impoverished fragile new country and then the history of Pakistan after 1947 is that of the political turmoil.

Consider all those factors and EVEN you should concede that Karachi stayed a fairly decent city well into the 1970s. If the immigrants were of the caliber of the Afghan refugees of the 1980s then Karachi would have been even more ruined!

So what is your solution about the impending political storm in Pakistan that may well undo the hard earned gains of the current govt? What is this forum's solution. And if you want to bring your ethnic rants then I am not into that. I have nothing against any ethnicity. Giving credit to urban Sindh and urban Punjab is given because it is due!

The problem I see is Karachi have become city of 20 million people that is in dire need of expansion. If Sindhi nationalists allow this to happen then soon Urban areas will become majority in Sindh.

They don't want that to happen. They want to restrict Karachi population expansion anyhow. It need to happen for economic growth of Pakistan/Karachi/Sindh. But crimes of Malik riaz shouldn't be overlooked. Displaced villagers need to be properly compensated from Rs450 billion SC fine. I'm sure money can buy anyone, especially poor if its life changing.

 

[Meengla]

The problem I see is Karachi have become city of 20 million people that is in dire need of expansion. If Sindhi nationalists allow this to happen then soon Urban areas will become majority in Sindh.

They don't want that to happen. They want to restrict Karachi population expansion anyhow. It need to happen for economic growth of Pakistan/Karachi/Sindh. But crimes of Malik riaz shouldn't be overlooked. Displaced villagers need to be properly compensated from Rs450 billion SC fine. I'm sure money can buy anyone, especially poor if its life changing.

And by denying the geographical expansion of Karachi, the population of Karachi will not be reduced! In fact, more people crammed in limited space causes more frictions and violence. Personally, I wouldn't want to live in Karachi except **maybe** BTK or similar outlying areas; Karachi is too dirty, dusty, crowded and violent. Speaking of which, I can't stand to live in American cities either and thus I live on 6+ acres of land in a rural area, surrounded by trees. Simple life in a small house.

But I agree with you: The villagers who can prove their legal residence must be compensated! Rs. 450 billion is a lot of money and should be used to take care of that problem. But, as you have more than implied, if the agenda of the Sindhi nationalists is to restrict a natural growth of Karachi then no amount of help will do.

Did you guys know that the mob which attacked BTK on Sunday not only brought expert lock/vault breakers to loot tens of millions of Rupees but they also allegedly stopped cars on the highway and asked for the mother tongue and when Urdu Speakers were found then they were abused and money grabbed?? How is that thuggery anyway justifiable?

 

[Areesh]

Did you guys know that the mob which attacked BTK on Sunday not only brought expert lock/vault breakers to loot tens of millions of Rupees but they also allegedly stopped cars on the highway and asked for the mother tongue and when Urdu Speakers were found then they were abused and money grabbed?? How is that thuggery anyway justifiable?

As per the famous racist plus murtad of PDF this thuggery is completely justifiable since these Sindhis are red Indians and Urdu speaking population of Karachi are the white colonists

 

[hydrabadi_arab]

As per the famous racist plus murtad of PDF this thuggery is completely justifiable since these Sindhis are red Indians and Urdu speaking population of Karachi are the white colonists

Its quite stupid logic because urdu speakers are not responsible for Karachi population growth. These Sindhi nationalists are basically against the very state of Pakistan and should be treated like terrorists if they ever cross the line like they did. That doesn't excuse Malik Riaz crimes but expansion of Karachi is inevitable with him or without.

 

[Areesh]

Its quite stupid logic because urdu speakers are not responsible for Karachi population growth. These Sindhi nationalists are basically against the very state of Pakistan and should be treated like terrorists if they ever cross the line like they did. That doesn't excuse Malik Riaz crimes but expansion of Karachi is inevitable with him or without.

I know it is stupid

I just quoted what a famous racist of PDF says