Bilawal hopes Imran’s package will be for entire Sindh

Ag Agencies

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed hope that the federal government would join hands with Sindh to bring relief to the rain-battered people of the province ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the metropolis today (Saturday).

Addressing a news conference on Friday, the opposition lawmaker said he hoped the Prime Minister would announce a comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation package for Karachi and the interior of Sindh. He also appreciated the federal government for showing “seriousness” with regard to investing in Karachi’s infrastructure and development.

According to Geo News, Bilawal said if the Centre matches the Rs800 billion that the provincial government is planning to spend on Karachi, it would solve the problems of the metropolis “to a great extent”.

He said after the coronavirus and locust attacks, the recent spell of torrential rains had made life difficult for the poor. The PPP chairman appreciated Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and the provincial government for working hard and providing relief to the people in areas where he did not have “a legal and administrative role”. “I know about the hopes and expectations of the people, we will try and work hard to match them,” he said.

Bilawal said it was the right of Sindh to get its share of funds from the Centre. “Those who taunt us by saying that we will not give Sindh its due share of funds, they should understand that this is not their father’s money,” he stressed. “These are funds that belong to the people of Sindh. They use money from the people of Sindh to run their government and the Centre,” he added.

He urged federal ministers to desist from such taunts, advising the Centre to help people from every province and city regardless of who was the chief minister there. “You have to support people from every province,” he said.

Answering a question about who will be the new Karachi administrator, Bilawal said that it was up to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to pick whomever he wished. “I will be seeking results from Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah,” he said. “It is Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and his government’s job to appoint a good individual from whom he can extract results,” he added.

In response to a question about former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the PPP chairman said that he expects him to return after his medical treatment is completed.