Ahsan denies tensions rising between PML-N, coalition partners

KARACHI: The Sindh Planning & Development (P&D) Department held a meeting on Monday to welcome Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal during the latter’s visit to the department.

The meeting was chaired by Iqbal alongside Sindh P&D Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and P&D Chairman Najam Ahmed Shah. The meeting reviewed the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects, and discussed the provincial government’s share.

The PSDP chairman detailed the strategic barriers and pending approvals from the finance ministry, due to which several projects are in the pipeline. Once approved, they would result in four crucial road projects linking key areas and road projects that are also under approval request with the National Highway Authority.

The team lead for the Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affectees presented his case of the current progress of the project. The delays in approvals, tax payable to the revenue board and rationalisation of indirect cost according to the cabinet’s directives were presented to the Iqbal.

Nasir Shah specifically pointed out the massive inflow of funds amounting to Rs81 billion for the P&D department, for which he thanked Iqbal. Iqbal spoke about the World Bank regulations on tax duty that has been a rather tall task for projects to be carried out. He said the federal government has been persistent in ensuring that the WB loan is not contingent to such strict tax policies.

“We’re aware that Sindh has been sidelined in the past, and it’s upon the federal government to undo the plight that now surrounds the overall development and uplifting of Karachi and, by extension, Sindh.”

He said: “The prime minister’s Uraan Pakistan plan is based on forgetting the faults made in our past and look towards the future, and hope that we’ve managed to create initiatives that would ensure Pakistan’s stability. Policy continuation and a pro-reform agenda is what is needed. This programme is based on five basic core essentials.”

He also said it is essential to make export-led growth the motto. Provincial competition on the basis of export initiatives must take place, he added.

“Every province must create an export development board to work on factors that would improve export quality and general overall management. Ensuring a foolproof initiative to deal with export servicing will, in turn, lead to the funds being used for debt servicing and pipe them into projects that would hasten the progress of Pakistan.”

He said e-Pakistan is another aspect that must be absorbed as quickly as possible. “The global arena is currently competing on which country is best able to adapt to the requirements and infrastructure for artificial intelligence. We need to generate a massive technology adoption.”

Moreover, he added, water and food security is also an alarming warning that is being given to us time and again, with possible consequences going beyond floods and water logging. “It also means famine, drought and malnutrition of the masses.”

He stressed the need for a green revolution. “Energy and infrastructure is handled by the federal government but the overall policies are contingent upon the cooperation of the provincial governments. Both governments need to ensure energy losses are cut down to the minimum.”

He touched upon the social angle of societal uplifting, saying that universal primary education is the key for any successful nation. “Pakistan stands at 60 per cent, when it should ideally be over 80 per cent. Education is the rudimentary factor in determining the overall success of a country.”

He discussed some crucial projects that are imperative for the overall betterment of KB feeders and water management to elevate the plight of water shortage, leading to a stark rise in the general living standards of the masses.

He stressed the urgent need for Pakistan to embrace sustainable water management methods to equate for the water mismanagement. He also stressed the role of development and infrastructure strategising for Karachi that would, in turn, shape the future of Pakistan, pointing out that the city’s development is directly tied to the entire country’s development.

He also expressed the need of integrating federal and provincial government allegiance to elevate Pakistan on all fronts, be it e-governance, technology, IT or green initiatives.

The visit concluded with a brief media talk, in which Iqbal was asked about the status of the federal government’s plans regarding P&D. He acknowledged the challenges based on a perpetual mismanagement and mis-governance in the past due to the poor conduct of the previous government.

He said the government under PM Shehbaz Sharif is committed to ensuring the national uplifting of Pakistan, which is also reflective in the new initiative Uraan Pakistan, a wholistic plan to cover all avenues, including agriculture, technology, blue economy, creative industry and manpower support.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Iqbal also held a press conference at the PML-N House, Sindh, where he said his party has always worked for the betterment of the people and the country, launching several projects to revive the country’s ailing economy.

He pointed out that had the PML-N’s past governments not been toppled by unlawful means, the country’s economy would not have seen this day.

He said that during the PML-N’s 2013-2017 tenure, the party restored peace in Karachi, ended terrorism, reduced power load-shedding and launched the CPEC project, but it paid a huge price for them by having its government toppled.

Speaking about Uraan Pakistan, he said this programme would change the country’s economy, and bring fortune within three or four years.

“This programme focuses on core issues, which are the export sector, digitisation, agricultural and water issues, the energy sector and population. As Pakistan is facing dollar reserves depletion in these sectors, enhancement and improvement in these sectors would yield significant results.”

He also announced that 1,000 agricultural scientists and researchers from all over the country would be sent to China for learning new agrotechnological innovations that would be beneficial for our country’s agricultural sector.

Replying to a query about PIA losses, he said that during the PTI’s tenure, immature and unfortunate statements regarding degrees of pilots brought losses of millions of dollars to the PIA and the national exchequer. “We’re trying to restore EU and UK flights, and soon these routes will be resumed.”

Regarding the PML-N’s alleged tensions with their coalition partners, he refuted the rumours as baseless, saying that the party’s relations with its allies are very cordial.

Iqbal said there are always backdoor negotiations and dialogues for improvement. Negating the impression of his party being under pressure from the establishment, he said everyone has learnt from their mistakes and no one in this situation can afford a political crisis.

On a query about the PTI, he said the party and its leaders are reaping what they sowed. “They crossed red lines on May 9 by attacking army installations.”

He also said PTI founder Imran Khan asks everyone for the receipt but cannot provide his own after selling the watch. “He’s imprisoned because of his own crimes of using public money to favour his own fortune.”

Earlier, addressing PML-N workers, he had said the party is going to revamp their existing structure in Sindh to get ingrained access on grassroots level, and would be supporting the youth.

He also announced that such meetings would be held monthly, and that he would request the PM Sharif and Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz to hold meetings with party workers and leaders from Sindh.