Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit, Sharjeel Inam Memon, stated that the alliance between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has now been clearly exposed. He remarked that the same parties which once contested against each other for seats are now seen standing side by side on the assembly floor. According to Sharjeel Inam Memon, while this alliance may send a new political message, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) remains unfazed by it.
While speaking to the media at the Sindh Assembly Media Corner, Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the politics of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement is evident to all. This party has consistently avoided local government elections because it no longer enjoys public support. He stated that the people of Sindh have always given their mandate to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Sharjeel Inam Memon claimed that the PPP has eradicated hooliganism, bodies in sacks, extortion, and the politics of fear from Karachi.
He said that the behavior exhibited by the MQM in the assembly today stems from a sense of deprivation. The drama staged under the pretext of an attack on Iran has also been exposed. He added that the Sindh Chief Minister began his speech by strongly condemning the cowardly attack on Iran, yet the opposition chose to indulge in negative politics even on such a sensitive occasion.
Sharjeel Inam Memon further said that while positive politics is the right of everyone, those who consistently engage in negative and disruptive politics should take note: the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has never bowed to pressure in the past, does not do so today, and will not yield in the future.
He added that if the MQM truly cared about the people of Karachi, it would have raised its voice against the federal government over the budget for the K-4 water project. Instead, it chose to remain a silent spectator. He also said that these individuals acted like puppets even when it came to the budget for a critical project like the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway.
In response to a question about the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that he does not know where their hardware came from or why it malfunctioned. He added that the Sindh government has launched several development projects in Karachi, and the Jam Sadiq Bridge will be inaugurated either by the end of this month or the beginning of next month.
He said that the Sindh government has given special attention to Karachi and has never drawn a distinction between Karachi and the rest of Sindh.
He added that if those holding fake mandates truly had public support, they would not have chosen to run away from the local government elections. Speaking about the budget, Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Sindh government has presented a people-friendly budget. Salaries for employees from grade 1 to 16 have been increased by 12 percent, while those for employees above grade 17 have been raised by 10 percent.
Sindh Minister for Energy and Planning & Development, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, also spoke on the occasion and said that the protest held today was intended to target the Chief Minister of Sindh. However, the way the Chief Minister has implemented the vision of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari has effectively neutralized the opposition’s politics.
Nasir Hussain Shah stated that this budget is highly commendable, and a detailed briefing on it will be provided to journalists tomorrow. He added that members of the Sindh Assembly currently receive the lowest honorarium in the country, and efforts are underway to bring it in line with other provinces.