‘Foreign donors should stop giving aid to Sindh govt’

PSP chief Mustafa Kamal says corrupt provincial government misappropriating international aid agencies’ money instead of spending it on development

Pak Sarzmeen Party chief Mustafa Kamal asked foreign donors on Sunday to stop giving aid to the Sindh government as that money was being lost to corruption.

“The Sindh government is misappropriating the funds being provided by international aid agencies for the development of the province,” he told reporters at the press club on the fourth consecutive day of his party’s protest drive against the provincial government.

Several PSP activists and supporters continued their protest at the party’s camp outside the press club.

Kamal said his party’s protest was a peaceful one and none of its activists had pelted stones or blocked roads adjacent to their camp.

The PSP chief spent the entire Saturday night at the camp accompanied by party leaders Anis Qaimkhani, Waseem Aftab and Raza Haroon.

Kamal said Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was now mentioning Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain but had conveniently forgotten the past when his Pakistan People’s Party Rehman Malik , the former interior minister, used to rush to London to defuse tensions between his party and the MQM.

“We aren’t here to return and will continue protesting until citizens are granted their basic civic rights,” he added.

“We will lay siege to those who have plundered the national exchequer and won’t let them go scot-free.”

Kamal also said those who had looted Karachi, the city which generated the bulk of the country’s revenue, would not be spared.

“How will those who have even failed to provide clean drinking water to the citizens be able to rule the country?”

 

50-year plan

Kamal said he had chalked out a 60-year plan for Karachi which was scrapped by the current rulers.

“The first and second phases of this plan should be started concurrently,” he demanded.

The PSP chief maintained that the K-IV bulk water supply project would not be used to provide water to the citizens of Karachi. He added that he was ready to supervise the installation of drinking water pipelines free of charge.

The PSP had launched its protest campaign on April 6 against the provincial government’s rampant corruption, bad governance and violation of democratic norms.

It had staged demonstrations at 15 locations in the city, demanding resolution of major civic problems including lack of drinking water, sanitation facilities, schools and healthcare.

The protesters also condemned the K-Electric’s overcharging and unannounced power outages.

Kamal said the protest campaign would be expanded across the country if the masses were denied their rights.

“We aren’t here for power. Our objective is to serve the masses,” he added.

“Our protest is totally different. It will either end with our demands being accepted or us sacrificing our lives.”

The PSP chief also lashed out at the MQM-Pakistan for failing to collect and disposing of piles of garbage in Karachi.