Murad laments delay in release of development funds by caretakers

Former Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has termed the ongoing delay in the release of funds for the development schemes of Sindh by the caretaker federal and provincial governments as tantamount to punishing the people of the province.

He expressed these views on Wednesday while addressing a press conference at the Media Cell Bilawal House along with his former provincial cabinet colleagues Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Saeed Ghani, Imtiaz Shaikh, Gianchand Esrani, and Surendar Valasai.

The ex-CM said that due to the non-disbursal of funds by the interim government, the work on development projects had been stopped, which was causing a lot of loss to the province.

He said there was no justification for not releasing funds for such schemes, which had been approved by the Sindh Assembly, and funds were also allocated for these projects in the budget. “We had passed 947 schemes for the financial year 2023-24, out of which not even a single rupee has been released for school education, irrigation, STEVTA (Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority) and energy projects,” he added.

Shah said that in the provincial budget for the year 2023-24, the major focus was on the rehabilitation of flood-affected areas, adding that the provincial government led by him had made all the necessary arrangements before the end of the government term so that the caretaker government would not have any problem with carrying out these projects.

“The caretakers (caretaker government) are only supposed to do the day-to-day routine work. We had left Rs 112 billion for them,” he pointed out.

He further said: “Now, when the FBR is saying that it has met the target of tax collection, it means that the government doesn’t even have the issue of shortage of money. But there is a problem. There is a lack of will to serve the public.”

The former CM said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, earlier in his capacity as the country’s foreign minister, had ensured the generation of more than $2 billion from the international community for the construction of houses for the flood victims and the rehabilitation of the flood-affected areas, the sum, which the government has received now. “We have secured more than $2 billion in funds from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank to rehabilitate flood-affected areas,” he said, adding that due to the halting of the development projects, the commitment fee of funds received from international financial bodies has been increasing, which is unjust to the people of this province.

Shah said the ECP and the caretaker governments should not take such steps that increase the problems of the people. “The PPP will win the upcoming general elections. At this time, no party except the PPP is ready to go to the elections. We will win the elections and form the next federal government,” he contended.

He expressed complete solidarity with the people of Gaza and occupied Kashmir. He strongly condemned the Israeli atrocities in Gaza and said that there was a need to stop the brutality of the Israeli occupying army on Palestine. He also raised voice for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, saying that on one side, there is Palestine, and on the other side India is also doing injustice to the people in occupied Kahsmir.