20-hour loadshedding shows enmity towards Sindh: CM

SUKKUR: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday claimed that there was a 20-hour gas loadshedding in various areas of Sindh, which was a clear sign of enmity towards the province.

He said that he would wait for one week and if during this period gas was not provided to Sindh, then for the people of Sindh he would have no option but to snatch their rights. He said this while addressing the media at the 10th death anniversary of his late father former chief minister Syed Abdullah Shah here on Friday.

He said that pseudo politicians, parliamentarians and ministers were giving an impression that the Sindh chief minister had no courage to stop the gas supply to the other provinces. “I would advise them to read the Constitution which empowers me to first meet the gas requirements of the people of Sindh and then share it with other provinces,” he claimed.

The chief minister said that he was working hard to reduce the shortfall of power in the country. “The Sindh government has established a 100MW power plant and has laid transmission line from Nooriabad to Karachi but SSGC — at the behest of some ministers who are against the move to steer the country out of darkness — is reluctant to provide gas under one or the other pretext,” he said. “Now, enough is enough and we would not allow you to play ping pong by passing the blame on to the Sindh government.”

Terming the SSGC’s statement about provision of bank guarantee as absurd, the chief minister said these guarantees were submitted once an agreement was signed. “People of this country are well aware. Don't try to deceive them,” he advised the SSGC.

Replying to a question, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister of Pakistan and he could visit Jaccobabad and any part of the province. “I am inviting him to Sehwan also to solve the problems of the people,” he said, adding that the PM's team was trying to fail him because they were not sincere in solving the energy crises.

He said that the IG police was working on the instructions of the Sindh High Court. Talking about the chairman Senate who has returned his  security squad against the attitude of federal ministers, Murad said that the PML-N had never given importance to parliament because they believed in dictatorship.

While concluding his talk, Murad said that no matter what some ministers, PML-N members and other seasonal politicians say but I assure the people that I would be protecting and fighting for their rights in Sindh. “It is my mandate and it is my constitutional responsibility," he said.

In the end, he said that he felt proud that Benazir Bhutto had shown trust in his father and made him the Sindh chief minister, adding that Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari trusted him and made him the chief minister of Sindh.