Daily Times

Mr Haleem Adil Sheikh, the Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly has lashed out at Chief Minister Sindh for his anti-Pakistan moves and termed his criminal governance as the security risk for the country. Mr Sheikh, who is also the senior central vice president of PTI, speaking during the news conferences first in Jamshro and then in in Nawabshah on Sunday, alleged that Murad Ali Shah and government had become the security risk for the country for his dangerous decisions adding he said that Mr Shah was creating the hurdles in the competition of the Sukkur- Hyderabad-Karachi Motorway.

“The person, who imposed the lockdown without seeking the permission from the officials of NCOC just wanted to stop the smooth sailing of the economic activities in a city like Karachi and this step is nothing but an open threat to the flourishing economy of the country” he noted. Mr Sheikh said that the Sindh Chief Minister instead of ensuring the vaccination of the people against the deadly virus, had been doing politics on the directions of his boss Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. ” The Federal Government provided testing kits, ventilators and then the vaccines but the high-ups of the Sindh government could not ensure the proper vaccination to the people” he added and held PPP rulers in Sindh responsible for the mess and their utter failure to even set up a single vaccination centre where people could be vaccinated in a proper manner in a conducive atmosphere.

‘Murad Ali Shah and the incompetent Sindh Minister for Health had never bothered to tackle the issues and they even could pay the salaries to the staffers they had hired the staffers to vaccinate the people at Expo Centre in Karachi instead they were involved in selling the vaccines, which were provided to them by the federal government’ he said and warned them to stop playing with the lives of people. He said that Murad Ali Shah after Covid-19 Pandemic instead of handling the situations in a proper manner only got himself busy making money.

” The rulers in Sindh falsely claimed to have provided ration among 2 million people but people of the province continued to face hunger and starvation due top lockdowns” he said and added that it was federal government of Imran Khan which had given Rs 65 billion to the people of Sindh through Ehsas Kifalat Program without any discrimination when the people desperately needed the money to feed themselves and their kids. Murad Ali Shah and PPP rulers in difficult times only cried foul and did nothing for the starving people. Mr Sheikh asked PPP chairman Bilawal to desist from issuing the dangerous statements just to gain the cheap popularity adding he claimed the PPP government in Sindh wanted to turn situations like that of Indian occupied Kashmir by imposing the lockdowns under a conspiracy.

Mr Sheikh said that on Saturday he witnessed ugly glimpses in Karachi during the lockdown and people were being humiliated by the people at Kathore Bus Stop. ” The people who were unaware of the sudden decision of the lockdown who were travelling to Karachi by buses were tortured by police personnel” he added and such ugly scenes reminded him of the grim situations of the Indian-held Kashmir.

Mr Sheikh observed that the lockdown of one week in a city like Karachi would affect the economic activities in the whole country for many months and said insane rulers, who imposed such decisions, had become a security risk for the country. The PTI leader said that corrupt PPP rulers, who had already failed to provide any relief to the people of the province, were now trying to snatch the morsels from the mouths of their people by imposing lockdowns. He said that there was no lockdown on stray dogs, which were roaming and biting people even in the hospitals adding he claimed that outbreak of the hepatitis was killing people five times more than the virus but high -ups of Sindh were sitting cross-legged to address such core issues of the province. “The foul cries of Murad Ali Shah and the spread of the deadly virus were going on together for the past many months ” he added, asking Murad Shah to stop the foul-play with the people of Sindh.

He said that Murad Shah, who was not looking in his senses during a meeting on Friday , made a conspiracy against the economy of the country by imposing the lockdown in Sindh. He said that the city, which was contributing to 67 percent revenues of the country, should not be allowed to be affected by such stupid decisions.

He said that PPP rulers were only interested in making money but were least bothered to make a concerted effort to tackle the situation under the directions of the National Command and Operation Centre. He asked Mr Shah to go to NCOC to seek permission from authorities before making any decision to destroy the economy of Karachi and Pakistan. ” Nobody should be allowed to play with the economy of the country through senseless moves, ” he commented. Mr Sheikh said that during his visit to Expo Centre in Karachi he witnessed the crowded situations, several hundred people in long queues were waiting for their turn to get themselves vaccinated. He said hardly any person was observing the SPOs and that was enough to expose the intentions of PPP rulers towards the health of people. People were seen creating the riots and chaotic situations with no proper arrangements by officials of the Sindh government in the centre. Mr Sheikh observed that now only state institutions could only ensure the smart lockdown in the troubled areas and localities and to ensure the proper vaccination against the deadly virus.

Mr Sheikh said that the Supreme Court had ruled that the provinces could not take unilateral decisions in this regard, but the Sindh government’s announcement about imposition of a lockdown in the province was against such orders. The PTI leader said that under Article 151 of the Constitution, Pakistan is a single market with the port of Karachi acting as the jugular vein of its economy”. Any attempt that could affect the country’s economic lifeline should not be allowed adding he said that the Sindh government took the unilateral decisions . He said that the PTI leadership strongly condemned such a decision, which was aimed at stifling economic activities.

Mr Sheikh maintained that the option of imposing a complete lockdown was not available to any provincial government but Murad Ali Shah again made a very unwise decision and provided an opportunity to police officials to mint money from traders, business and vendors. The policy about the Covid pandemic was formulated by the federation and the National Command and Operation Centre and the provinces were bound to implement it, he said. Mr Sheikh said the Imran Khan-led PTI government had fought hard against the virus and had so far managed to save many lives while maintaining a stable economy. He said that Pakistan under the dynamic leadership of Imran Khan controlled the worst situations during the past peak times of the pandemic and his sincere and concerted efforts were lauded by the heads of other countries.

Had the Sindh government implemented the SOPs effectively, the situation in Karachi and other parts of Sindh would not be so grim and worse today. Mr Sheikh said that those living in Bilawal House and in their palatial palaces did not know how the poor people were suffering due to such uncalled for lockdowns.

Mr Sheikh again lashed out at the corrupt PPP rulers of Sindh, for doing nothing for the people of the province. He said that people were dying of the different other diseases and viral infections but the PPP rulers were not concerned about providing the vaccines and the required medicines in the hospitals of the province. Mr Sheikh said that the functionaries of National Highway Authority had already released Rs 14 billion to Sindh government for the acquiring of the lands for the completion of Sukkur to Karachi Motorway but Murad Ali Shah was creating the hurdles in that process. ” Mr Shah is creating hurdles in the hindrances in his own home district against the completion of the mega projects for greed to make more money” he added. Mr Sheikh asked the chief secretary to play his role and retrieve the occupied lands so that the work on the mega project could not hit snags due to the criminal acts of PPP rulers adding he warned that any move to halt any project of the Federal Government would be resisted and all such attempts would be foiled. He said that PTI leaders had already requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to launch the effective operation against both criminals and corrupt people in Sindh by directing the Rangers, adding he hoped that the province would soon be purged of such elements. He alleged that there every kind of crime and vices were rearing their heads from Jamshoro district adding he said that the entire province had been infected with the dangerous virus of the corrupt practices of Murad Ali Shah.