Daily Times

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill Tuesday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was preparing to form its government in Sindh in the next tenure.

Addressing a news conference at Sindh Governor House, he said the Sindh government had miserably failed to perform in each sector and its incompetency had compelled the federal government to carry out those development works which was the provincial government’s responsibility.

He said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had alleged that the federal government was missing in Sindh, Bilawal may submit an application to the federal government so the federal government would take over.

Presenting the Sindh government’s budget expenditures to the media, he said the Sindh government had failed to collect its set tax target of Rs. 128 billion and collected only Rs. 105 billion.

Federal and Punjab governments collected more than 27 percent of their set tax collection targets, Shahbaz Gill said even the KP government’s performance in tax collection was far better than the Sindh government. In respect of Non-Tax Revenue Sindh government collected Rs. 12 billion instead of its set target of Rs. 50 billion.

He said those who have visited parts of interior Sindh would be aware why Bilawal Bhutto Zardari kept mentioning donkeys in his speeches because donkeys were being kept in government schools, police stations and hospitals in Sindh. “We will not leave the people of Sindh at the mercy of the Sindh government and will continue to raise our voice for the people “.

Shahbaz Gill said the opposition was responsible for criticism based on facts and figures not for using harsh words and baseless allegations. Out of the total Rs. 150 billion announced for ADP schemes, the Sindh government utilized only Rs. 100 billion. Last year the provincial government had Rs. 30 billion in cash while this year they have Rs. 65 billion in cash, why was the amount not spent on the welfare of the masses, he questioned.

He said the party which chanted slogans to provide meals, clothes and shelter had only allocated Rs. 12 billion for subsidies in such testing times of COVID-19 while the federal government had allocated Rs. 700 billion for the purpose.

The PM’s Special Assistant said the federal government last year provided funds of Rs. 725 billion to the provincial government of Sindh while due to better performance of the federal government this year, funds of Rs. 884 billion had been issued to the Sindh government. The raise in respect of salaries in Sindh was due to the increased funds provided by the federal government.

Responding to a query about water theft allegations by the Sindh government, Gill replied that the Sindh government had failed to prove it. He invited journalists to visit any barrage of their choice and prove any theft.

Answering another question, he said Sindh was given most of the money in PSDP. PTI was not a regional party like PPP.