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I never take Fawad Chaudhry's statements seriously, says CM Sindh

"Officers are infested with fear and insecurity, therefore they have stopped working and prefer to remain without posting or on the side post and those who were at important positions did not perform."

By Web Desk
November 06, 2018

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah giving an oblique reference of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said that it has created a wave of fear and insecurity among the officers, therefore they have stopped working and this has become a serious issue.

This he said on Tuesday while addressing graduation ceremony of 26th Mid-Career Management Course (MCMC) at National Institute of Management (NIM) Karachi.

He said that officers were infested with fear and insecurity, therefore they have stopped working and prefer to remain without posting or on the side post and those who were at important positions did not perform. “This is a serious situation that has caused serious dent to service delivery,” he lamented and urged the officers to come out of fear [of NAB] and start serving people without any stress and pressure.

Mr Shah said that the bureaucracy of this country was highly qualified, efficient and properly trained but their salary structure and perks were considerably lower compared to people of other sectors. 

“Bureaucracy is the backbone of this country and they have to play their due role for the development of this country and its people,” he said and appreciated National Institute of Management (NIM) for offering excellent training programmes for capacity building of bureaucracy of the country and urged its management to design such courses which inculcate confidence among `fear-infested’ officers. “I think such kind of courses are very much requited these days,” he said.

He said that he had a great objection on the slogan `say no to corruption’ “it implies as if we all as a society and as a nation are corrupt,” he said and added “we have governance issues and with the establishment of good governance corruption would automatically dwindle down,” he said.

Talking about 18th constitutional amendment, Murad Ali Shah said that it was a great achievement of PPP government [in center in those days] which prepared draft with collective wisdom of all the parliamentary forces and got it approved from the parliament. 

“That was the time of reforms- again the formula of 7th NFC Award was changed for the first time in the history and it paid the province abundantly.

“It was 18th amendment under which Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) was established for collection of Sales Tax on Services. 

The federal government used to give Rs6 to 7 billion against Sales Tax on service to Sindh and last payment in this head was made at Rs14 billion and provincial government through SRB collected Rs27 billion in the first year of its [SRB] establishment and now it generates more than Rs100 billion. “This is the success story of the constitutional reforms the PPP government had introduced under 18th amendment,” he said and now people are talking about scrapping the 18th amendment, he surprised.

Mr Shah urged the federal government to hand over the collection of Sales Tax on Goods to provinces to collect on behalf of the federal government and the provincial governments, particularly Sindh and the Punjab were capable enough to enhance collection by manifold. “This would be in the benefit of the national exchequer.

Talking about Thar, Mr Shah said urged the NIM administration to take their under-training officers to Thar and show them the work done by the provincial government. 

“We have improved over all life style and now people have started living in pacca house, we have improved road infrastructure, employment opportunities have been created at Thar coal, overall tourism has increased and in short we have improved District hospital Mithi,” he said added “yes, there is issue of Mother-Child health in Thar and we have started nutrition programmes for mother and child and are also going to develop a scientific method to maintain mother-child health,” he said.

Discussing law and order in the province, the chief minister said that when PPP government came into power on 2008 people used to travel in conveys on highways and the city was Karachi was more dangerous. 

“With our political will and with the support of people of Karachi our government launched targeted operation and today everything, day to life, business, trade and commerce, educational and cultural activities were thriving.

He congratulated the newly 26th MCMC graduates and hoped that in the filed they would serve to the people of Pakistan to the best of their abilities Mid-Career.

Talking to media, the chief minister said that he federal government was not giving due share of funds to Sindh. “This year they have given Rs12 billion less than the agreed amount,” he lamented.

Mr Shah said that the FIA has unearthed Rs10 billion fake account from KPK. “I am sure the federal government would take strict action there also,” he said.

To a question, the chief minister said that the speech of the Prime Minister of Pakistan in China was the same which he used to deliver on the container. This was the same speech he had made in the National Assembly and had addressed to the nation. “The prime minister delivered such a speech when Chinese refused to give him what he was expecting,” Mr Shah said.

To another question about Fawad Chaudhry’s statement, Murad Ali Shah said that he [Fawad Chaudhry] never speaks like that whenever when he met him. ‘I don’t know why he issues such threatening statements,” he said. He added that this is the person [Fawad Chaudhry] who was with Musharraf, then with PPP and now with PTI and afterwards may land somewhere else- “I never take his statements seriously,” he concluded.