close
Tuesday March 19, 2024

PA opposition leader lambastes Sindh govt, PPP leadership

By Our Correspondent
March 19, 2019

Insisting on their demand that the chairmanship of the Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) be given to the opposition, leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Monday berated the government for wasting public money to save corrupt politicians. The opposition leader in the PA, PTI’s Firdous Shamim Naqvi, along with MQM-P’s Kunwar Naveed Jamil appeared critical of the government and the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership as they addressed a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.

The right of opposition to the PAC chairmanship should be accepted because it is given to the opposition in the parliamentary system all over the world, Naqvi said.

He added that the PA opposition were protesting since January 6 for the PAC headship. “The first PAC was formed in 1861 and we are in 2019. The tradition you preach is the tradition of cruelty and the opposition will stand against it always,” he said. “Your traditions will not work in the Sindh Assembly, but democratic traditions will work. The PAC is inactive for the last 10 years.”

Discussing the adjournment of the PA for 15 days, the opposition leader said he could show that in the past 10 days at least, the government conducted no business in the house.

The opposition leaders particularly targeted Sindh Information Adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab in the news conference and referred to him by using his initials BMW. The chief minister’s BMW lies about the Sindh government, Naqvi remarked.

Denying the Sindh government’s claim that the federal government had stopping releasing funds to the Sindh government from the federal divisible pool, Naqvi said the provincial government had received more money from the Centre during the ongoing year compared to the previous years. “The PPP believes that the leaders in the opposition are illiterate and it is the reason that they are continuously telling lies.”

The opposition leader maintained that it was the PAC’s task to check whether the public money was spent lawfully or not. “BWW should give us details about the last 10 years and tell us what they have done with the money they got from the federal government.”

Naqvi also brought into discussion the money laundering cases in which PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has been nominated and his close aide Omni Group chief Anwar Majeed arrested. “When the JIT came, the parrots started speaking,” the opposition leader said.

“Omni and Co. and and Zardari and Co. both are same. Somewhere you can see Papa, somewhere Pappu’s documents can be seen. They are afraid and saying that jail is their second home,” Naqvi said. “It is not a noble achievement to go to jails and going to jail for theft is even worse. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

The PTI leader also questioned the ‘will’ of Benazir Bhutto, according to which the headship of PPP was passed to Zardari after her assassination. “Benazir Bhutto was an intelligent woman and the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. How could she write her will on a chit? They fear being caught.”

Continuing his diatribe, Naqvi said, “The chairman made with a chit will run through chits but for how long? The days of chits have gone.”

“Bilawal Bhutto says he will fill all the jails. You continue hiding the thieves; we will continue catching them. Let’s see whose campaign runs better in Sindh,” the opposition leader said.

“Wherever I went in Sindh, I saw the RO plants closed there. The provincial minister says there are 400 RO plants closed out of 2,200. The biggest project of history of Sindh is in danger. Its work was not done in time. How much corruption will they hide?” he asked.

Naqvi was of the view that the Sindh government was afraid of giving the PAC chairmanship to the opposition because it wanted to hide its theft. “They close water for the public. They tease farmers and throw them into jails. They change the directions of canals. They don’t believe in politics and democracy. If you have done well, show your performance. We are firmly committed to our demands. Opposition has decided that unmasking the PPP is essential.”

Haleem Adil Shiakh, the PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Muhammad Hussain and Mangla Shrama of the MQM-P and other leaders of the opposition parties were also present at the press conference.