Centre supporting provinces despite 18th amendment: PTI leaders

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Sindh on Tuesday said the governments could not fight the natural calamities but the nations through their unity and courage face and defeat them.

Addressing a press conference in the committee room of the provincial assembly, Haleem Adil Shaikh, PTI central vice president and parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, the Sindh Assembly opposition leader, stated that after the 18th constitutional amendment, the health sector was the responsibility of the provincial governments.

However, they added, the federal government was playing its due role and extending all-out help to the provinces. They also requested the media to spread awareness about the coronavirus.

Shaikh said the federal government had given 1,540 kits to Sindh government, 292 kits to the Aga Khan Hospital, 240 kits to the Civil Hospital Karachi, 96 kits to the Dow Medical College Hospital, and more than 480 kits to the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences.

He rejected the claims that a proper screening was not being carried out at the Karachi airport, saying they had visited the airport and “saw that thermal scanners were installed and were properly working”.

He said representatives of the provincial government were also present at the airport and any suspected patient would be handed to them. The PTI leader said the National Disaster Management Authority chairman had already asked the chief minister that they would cater to all needs of the province.

He said the Balochistan government had funds but it mishandled the issue. Shaikh said the federal government had already offered that it could set up quarantine centres.

Praising the Sindh government and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for their efforts to ensuring better arrangements at Sukkur for pilgrims, Shaikh said the federal government would provide all-out assistance to the provincial government in this regard. He said the PTI in this difficult situation bravely stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Pakistan.

“The whole world is affected by this virus. We have to learn from the experience of other countries,” Naqvi said. He said hoarding and black marketing of goods were condemnable. He said his party was ready to assist the Sindh government in every respect. Naqvi said people, as a precautionary measure, should avoid shaking hands.

“We have to take care of the economic needs of poor people, especially daily wage workers.” Hunaid Lakhani, head of the Sindh Baitul Mal, said the Pakistan Baitul Mal would provide ration to the families affected by the coronavirus. “We will take care of these people. The federal government is keen to facilitate the provincial governments and provide them better facilities.”

He said the federal government was ensuring a proper stock of edibles and daily use items. “The previous day a utility store in Gulshan-e-Iqbal sold goods worth eight million rupees in one day.”

He said the Pakistan Baitul Mal was also there to help the needy persons. He said the poor people and daily wagers were being affected due to the spread of the virus. PTI central leader Ashraf Qureshi, PTI Karachi Division president Khuram Sherzaman, MPAs Dua Bhutto, Saeed Afridi, Arslan Ghuman and Malik Shehzad Awaz were also present at the press conference.