GDA holds federal, Sindh govts responsible for people’s plight

Showing their displeasure over the federal government “for not fulfilling their promises”, leaders of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) on Tuesday said that because of “the incompetent federal government and the corrupt Sindh government” the people in Karachi and other parts of the province had been suffering for long.

Addressing a press conference, GDA leaders Sardar Abdul Rahim, Irfanullah Marwat, MPAs Nusrat Sehar Abbasi and Nand Kumar Goklani expressed dismay over the Imran Khan-led government’s performance, saying it had failed to live up to its promises.

The GDA is an alliance of various political parties and individuals against the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in Sindh and part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s coalition government. “The people of Sindh, particularly Karachi, are disappointed with the PTI government’s performance as it has turned a blind eye to the province’s issues,” the GDA leaders said.

“We made an alliance with the federal government and supported in forming the government in the Cente,” said Marwat, a former provincial minister. “But we did not ink ‘Nikah’ (marriage contract) with the federal government and we could reconsider our decision to support them.”

He added: “The people of Sindh do not trust the PPP’s provincial government but the federal government has also disappointed them.” Marwat said that citizens had been affected in the tussle between the federal and provincial governments.

Criticizing the K-Electric for prolonged power outages and overbilling, GDA leader Rahim said that because of the “the incompetent federal government and the corrupt Sindh government” the entire province had been suffering badly.

“A few-millimetre rain has exposed the Sindh government badly,” he said. “Despite ruling Sindh for the past 11 years, the the PPP-led provincial government has failed to plan a rain-emergency strategy”.

Rahim said that the Pakistan Peoples Party leaders had stated that Karachi had been “abandoned, but in reality, the Pir Pagara and his Pakistan Muslim League-Functional are with Karachiites who will not be left to the mercy of the cruel providing government.”

MPA Goklani said that minorities were not safe in Sindh. “After 1947, we did not see any amendment in the laws related to minorities,” he added.