Pakistan Peoples Party has been criticising the Pakistan Muslim League-N government for poor governance and corruption in the centre while turning a blind eye to the worsening situation in the province it governs. The situation in Sindh in terms of infrastructural development has been disappointing to say the least. Every year, natural calamities such as floods and rains wreak havoc, especially in big cities like Karachi and Hyderabad. And the authorities concerned fail to come up with a plan to deal with the problem in a durable and sustainable manner. Thar region has remained affected by famine for several years and whatever relief has been provided to the local population has come through philanthropists and NGOs. Local NGOs and international donors have set up camps for relief and rehabilitation. The government has remained conspicuous by its absence. When the government took occasional initiatives, it was clear that not much thought had been put into planning, and this led to wastage of resources. The PPP leadership had decided to bring in ‘fresh blood’ to lead the party and the province when Murad Ali Shah replaced Qaim Ali Shah as the chief minister. However, he has yet to translate tall claims of improving the condition of the province into effective action. Recently, the Sindh CM has approved a summary increasing his own salary by over 300 per cent. Salary, allowances, perks and privileges of all MPAs have also been raised from Rs 72,600 to Rs 145,000 per month with effect from July 1, 2017. The chief minister previously drew a salary of Rs 35,000, but it has now been increased to Rs 150,000. While it is clear that government officials and public representatives need to be paid a salary so that they can dedicate all their energies to their responsibilities, it also needs to be kept in mind that these salaries cannot be reviewed in an arbitrary manner. A criteria needs to be evolved for the purpose. Because otherwise, it will be hypocritical on the part of government officials and public representatives to increase their own salaries as they explain away poor governance with reference to lack of funds. PPP needs to pay attention to these issues in the province while it performs its role as an opposition party in the centre. * Published in Daily Times, October 15th 2017.