KARACHI, Jun 12 (APP): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Saturday expressed the hope that the Sindh government would spend the funds provided by the Federation in the next year budget on the welfare of people.
It was not clear where the funds allocated by the Centre in the past were used as nothing on the ground in that regard was seen, he added.
The minister was talking to the media after attending the Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF) here at Frere Hall as the chief guest.
Fawad said the Sindh government had not reformed its police department for law enforcement in the province. Instead the Rangers, which were deployed in 1990 in Sindh, had been performing the duty, he added.
“The people of urban areas of Sindh, particularly Karachi have been complaining of non-resolution of their grievances as the provincial government is not fulfilling its responsibility in this regard,” the minister said.
Fawad said the mayor of Karachi should be chosen through direct election, with due share of funds from the Provincial Finance Commission at his disposal for carrying out development work in the mega city.
Had they continued to rely on (Sindh Chief Minister) Murad Ali Shah and the company, there would have been no progress in Karachi.
He said a number of development schemes and projects were underway in other cities and towns of Sindh while the people of Karachi were totally ignored by the provincial government as far as civic, health and educational facilities were concerned.
He noted that the business community was not setting new industrial units in the city due to corrupt practices of the provincial government.
The minister said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto were against ethnic politics, rather they opted for politics of federation.
However, once the federal party had been converted into a nationalist group since it was taken over by Asif Ali Zardari, he added.
The PPP had now shrunk to Sindh, Fawad said, asking the PPP leaders to learn from the politics of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.
To a question, the minister said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ahsan Iqbal had rejected the electronic voting machine without understanding its importance.
For transparency in future election, all the parties must show seriousness, but the opposition had adopted a non-serious attitude in that regard, he added.
Fawad said for the first time the federal budget was warmly welcomed because when the whole world was negatively impacted with the pandemic, Pakistan attained economic growth.
