MQM-P demands Centre-funded comprehensive development package for Sindh

The people of Karachi are surely going to benefit from the development package for the city announced by the federal government.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail gave this assurance to a delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) that called on him at the Governor House on Friday. The governor also separately met a delegation of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), another coalition partner of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the federal government.

The MQM-P delegation was comprised of Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Faisal Subzwari, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar and Kanwar Naveed Jameel. Federal Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Federal Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan and PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen also attended the meeting, which discussed in detail the ongoing federally-funded development projects in Sindh, particularly those in Karachi.

The MQM-P leaders informed the governor about civic issues being faced by the people of Karachi. They also complained of unsatisfactory situation of solid waste management in the city under the SSWMB and urged the governor to make efforts to accelerate the process of construction of a federally-funded university in Hyderabad.

The delegation demanded that a comprehensive development package be unveiled by the federal government for the entire Sindh. Ismail told the MQM-P leaders that the Centre had been trying to resolve the issues in the K-IV bulk water supply project for Karachi. He maintained that he had been constantly in touch with the prime minister regarding the problems of Karachi.

Everyone was supposed to act together for the development and progress of Karachi and Sindh, he said.

Meanwhile, the GDA delegation informed the governor that Sindh had been replete with problems owing to the inefficiency of the provincial government of the Pakistan Peoples Party. They said the residents of Sindh had been suffering seriously due to massive curtailment of gas and power supply to their households and businesses. GDA leader and Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fahmida Mirza said farmers had been in trouble in different districts of the province owing to the locusts’ advance.

She said the federal government had to play its role to resolve the problems of the province.

GDA leader Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah said the performance of different departments of the Sindh government was highly unsatisfactory because of nepotism.

The governor informed the GDA delegation that the PM had constituted a committee to resolve the issues of the province. He said he would give a special briefing to the PM on the problems of Sindh.

He said special teams had been despatched to counter the locusts’ advance in different districts of Sindh. Airplanes had also been used to do aerial spray against locusts in Sukkur, Nawabshah and other areas, he added.

Ismail said after the adoption of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, it had become obligatory upon the Sindh government to take practical steps to resolves the provincial issues.