close
Thursday March 28, 2024

No knowledge about change of Sindh governor: Qaim

Says he didn’t declare MQM a terror outfit

By our correspondents
March 27, 2015
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Thursday denied having any knowledge about the change of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad or the declaration of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as a terrorist organisation.
During a press conference at the CM House here, Qaim found himself in thick soup when he was bombarded with questions about the federal government’s hard stand on the MQM and the absence of Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at the Faisal Base a day earlier.
Qaim said it was the job of the federal government and not of the provincial government to declare the MQM a terrorist organisation.Information and Local Government Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Home Secretary Mukthiar Soomro and senior police officials accompanied the chief minister.
He however believed that the MQM was a democratic party that had ‘100 percent mandate’ of the people of Karachi and Hyderabad. “This is why the PPP government is engaging with it through political means.”
Attempting to play down the significance of the absence of Dr Ebad during the meeting chaired by the prime minister to review law and order, he claimed neither was the meeting formal nor was it a formal session of the provincial Apex Committee. Hence, according to him, the presence of the governor was not compulsory.
Asked about any likely change in the governor’s office, the chief minister denied any knowledge in this regard.
He said even the prime minister, during his visit a day before, hadn’t mentioned anything to him concerning the subject.According to the chief minister, he had only been officially notified of a meeting with the premier after the latter was done with an award distribution ceremony at the PAF Museum.
“The home secretary and I were asked to see the prime minister to brief him on the progress of the crackdown on criminals. It was later that the Karachi Corps Commander and Director-General Sindh Rangers also arrived at the venue and the briefing turned into an informal session on the law and order situation in Karachi,” he said.
“The prime minister neither planned to visit the Governor’s House nor did he intend to chair a meeting of the provincial Apex Committee.”The chief minister said the governor used to attend the meetings of Apex Committee held under his supervision after getting a ‘special invitation’.
He said the governor was invited to keep him in the loop about the plans of the provincial government to tackle terrorism in the province and maintain peace in Karachi.Sharing the achievements of Karachi operation with the media, Qaim said the operation was launched with the consent of MQM and other political parties.
He again made it clear that the operation was not directed at any political party. He said the prime minister had appreciated the Sindh government and law-enforcement agencies for improving the law and order in the city.
However, he pointed out that the centre had yet to provide the Sindh government with Rs10 billion which was promised when the operation was launched in September 2013. The money was required to buy the latest weapons and equipment for the provincial law-enforcement agencies.
He said the provincial government had so far allocated Rs60 billion for this purpose while Rs10 billion promised by the federal government hadn’t materialised despite several reminders.He said soon the investigation agencies will be able to find out those involved in attacks on a mosque of Dawoodi Bohra community in Arambagh area of Saddar and Rangers patrol in Nazimabad.
He claimed it was due to the valiant performance of law enforcers that the number of average killings in Karachi had dropped to less than two from 12 since the operation was launched.Bilawal House barriers: Sharjeel Inam Memon said barricades were placed outside the Bilawal House after seeking special permission from the federal and Sindh governments.He said permission had been sought to put barriers in place in view of threat to the party leaders since the premises has come under fire before.