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Thursday March 28, 2024

PSP to launch countrywide protests against federal, Sindh govts

By Our Correspondent
October 31, 2021

Announcing the launch of a series of nationwide protests against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's "incompetent and corrupt" federal government and the Pakistan Peoples Party's "corrupt, incompetent and prejudiced" Sindh government, Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Saturday that if Pakistan needed to be saved, then it must be "go Zardari go, alongside "go Niazi go".

"The incompetent Rikshaw drivers of the PTI has been given the operating seat of an F-16, which will not only definitely crash the plane, but also certainly destroy the runway and terminal,” said Kamal, while addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Secretariat, the party’s central office in Karachi.

He said that "the corrupt PPP wants to become a political ghazi" by hiding behind an incompetent PTI, but the PSP would not let the PPP hide behind the PTI's incompetence.

He said the first and unique demonstration of the series of protests would take place on November 2 in the Central district of Karachi. “The incompetent federal government of the PTI has also worsened the Tehreek-e-Labbaik issue.

Before forming the government in the Centre, the PTI claimed it would bring back the money looted from the people, but to date it had not recovered even a single rupee looted, the PSP chief said.

“PM Imran Khan got a mandate from Karachi. Despite holding the president and governor's slots from the city, Imran Khan has forgotten to save Karachi, the economic lifeline of Pakistan, from the PPP's corruption and prejudice,” he said. “In order to prolong its government in the federation, Khan has given the PPP a free hand in Sindh.”

The much talked about change had only brought carnage, as nothing had been going well in Pakistan for the last three years, and in Sindh for the last 13 years, he said.

“Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was sued for making an expensive LNG deal, but now the government itself is buying more expensive LNG."

KMC-run hospitals

Discussing the civic problem of the city, Kamal said that the PPP's unelected and ignorant administrator said that except sanitation and garbage-lifting, education and health were not the subject of the local government.

“All around the world, local governments are in charge of airports, ports, police, education, health and even infrastructure. The administrators are handing over the municipal institutions to the PPP as if the institutions are the personal dynasty of the PPP. Now the PPP is focusing on the Karachi Heart Disease Hospital, Karachi Medical and Dental College and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital,” he said.

“From Karachi to Kashmore, the PPP can't even run a single hospital properly, but it wants to take control over the local government-run institutions of Pakistan's economic lifeline just to recruit incompetent candidates by taking bribes,” Kamal said.

He said Sindhi brothers were also being given jobs against millions of rupees' bribes. “They are even selling the job of a constable for Rs1.2 million to 1.3 million. The first right to employment belongs to a resident of that particular area,” he said.

“Nadeem Qamar, the brother of a PPP central leader, who is receiving a salary of Rs6 million from the NICVD despite retiring, illegally withdrew Rs130 million from the NICVD account,” he alleged.

"Nadeem Qamar, who is currently facing NAB cases, visited the Karachi Heart Disease Hospital and informed the hospital administration about the takeover,” he said.

The PSP would not allow any occupation of the city government's property and institutions, Kamal said. “In the last 13 years, the Sindh government has received Rs10,242 billion from the federation under the NFC. In each project upto 70 to 80 billion rupees' corruption was done by the provincial government," he alleged.

“How can the undisputed kings of corruption, PPP, protest against the incompetent PTI?" Kamal questioned. He said the chief minister of Sindh, who was leading the protests, should tell why more than seven million children were out of school despite the fact that the PPP had spent Rs2,300 billion on development projects.

“Children are deprived of vaccines, no drinking water, no treatment is available. Two hundred and fifty thousand jobs were given by the PPP-led biased government, but not a single candidate holding a domicile of Karachi and Hyderabad was given a job."

“Karachi's business was destroyed under the guise of a coronavirus lockdown. Inflation is unprecedented and federal ministers are justifying their failure,” he said. “The most ironic aspect was that the PTI-appointed governor of the State Bank of Pakistan has highlighted the benefits of rupee depreciation against the US dollar,” he said. “The country is becoming more indebted. We have to repay these loans in dollars.”

Anti-encroachment drive

Kamal urged that compensation should be given to those affected on the pretext of removing illegal encroachments. He said a plot of 120 yards and 100,000 should be given to each family, but the Sindh government would not do it. The court should ensure compensation for the victims before demolishing the buildings, he suggested.

During my mayorship period, he said, we accommodated more than ten thousand families by providing them with alternative plots and cash, and they were all satisfied and not even a single stone was pelted.

The court itself was calling the chief minister and declaring him a robber, and the SBCA was responsible for all illegal constructions throughout the city, Kamal remarked. "If you want to blow up illegal constructions with bombs, then blow up the SBCA, including its corrupt officials. By doing so, the culture of illegal constructions will stop not only in the city but in the entire country once and for all."

CNICs for Biharis, Bengalis

Kamal also said Imran Khan in his first speech as prime minister stated that the biggest problem in Karachi was identity cards for Bengalis. “But in the last three years, the identity cards have not been issued to the millions of Biharis and Bengalis living in Karachi."

Despite the use of Karachi's resources, millions of people could not be counted in the census as a result, he said. “That is why, the doors of education and health are closed to the Bihari and Bengali communities."

He asked the government to issue Biharis and Bengalis with CNICs immediately.

Bridge in Chitral

The PSP chief said Chitral is not only the largest district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but also the most sensitive district of Pakistan, which shares borders with three countries internationally. The people are patriotic Pakistanis, yet the government due to its incompetence is causing great unrest among the people.

“Instead of increasing the number of seats in the national and provincial assemblies, they have been further reduced, which is a total injustice,” he said. “Winter has started in Chitral but the only Torkho bridge connecting Upper Chitral with Lower Chitral could not be built, which could lead to human tragedy.”

The PSP had been demanding of the government for three years to complete the bridge immediately, he said.