KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday alerted the federal government that the province would not tolerate its exclusion at the hands of the Centre which has “ignored” the province in the provision of its due share in the upcoming budget.
The chief minister, addressing a press conference in Karachi, said the federal government is taking “revenge on the people of Sindh for getting fewer votes.” He said when the provincial government demands its rights, allegations are made and cases are filed against PPP leaders.
Shah also added that not a single penny has been set aside for the Karachi project and that the federal government has “completely ignored Sindh in the new budget”. Federal officials could spend the money themselves, but they should consult the province while making decisions.
He urged the government to not “divide Pakistan into two” as he reiterated the warning that Sindh would not tolerate such treatment anymore and would show “resistance.”
“[The federal government] had said they had set aside Rs90 billion for Sindh. I demand that they prove it.”
Shah’s reaction comes a day after the National Economic Council (NEC) had targeted the gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 4.8% for the next fiscal year. While registering aggressive protest over reduced share in federally funded development projects by the CM of Sindh, the NEC approved national development outlay of Rs 2,101 billion.