Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Tuesday said the railways ministry has refused to run the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project because according to them, the federal government lacks the resources required for the purpose.
Addressing a news conference at the Sindh Assembly building, the chief minister’s law and information adviser said the provincial government has completely supported and made serious efforts for the revival of the KCR. Unfortunately, however, in a meeting held a day earlier in Karachi, Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad showed reluctance to revive the project, added the CM’s adviser.
Wahab said the Sindh government will run the KCR through its own resources. He said the provincial administration had written to the Ministry of Railways asking it to provide 102 bogies required for operating the KCR.
He also said the Sindh government will modernise the KCR in pursuance of the relevant directives of the court. The provincial administration has been making efforts to revive the project since 2016, he added.
The adviser said that with the efforts of the chief executive, the KCR has been included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. The federal government had promised to support and contribute for the revival of the KCR, he added.
Police Order
Responding to a question, Wahab said the details of the new law passed by the Sindh Assembly to revive the Police Order 2002 in the province will be shared with the court.
He clarified that legislation is not the responsibility of any government servant, but rather it is the prerogative of the elected assembly. He said an impression is being created that the provincial police chief has the authority to legislate, which is incorrect.
‘No movement’
The adviser said the Pakistan Peoples Party was not launching any movement to form government, adding that the opposition parties had recently gathered on a one-point agenda, as the policies of the federal government had devastated the country’s economy.
NAB affairs
Wahab said the chairman of the NAB should not run its affairs through news conferences, as it violates the code of conduct of the watchdog, claiming that the current state of affairs is an attempt to make the accountability process controversial.
“The NAB chairman should inform the nation about the investigation of the Peshawar BRT [Bus Rapid Transit] and of the Billion Tree Tsunami case,” he said, adding that the watchdog is not working properly, as its conviction rate is very low.
