Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday demanded immediate termination of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail.
During the Senate session, PPP’s Raza Rabbani expressed anger over the governor and said that how he can even think of dividing Sindh. “Imran Ismail should first resign from the governorship and then think whatever he wants,” he said. “Imran Ismail is behaving like he has been made chief minister of the province. No one will bear division of the Sindh,” he asserted.
PPP leader Sherry Rehman demanded that the House summon Prime Minister Imran Khan for explanation on Ismail’s statement.
On the other hand, PML-N leader Mushahidullah Khan said that the governor is the representative of the federation and if he starts talking about division of the province, he should better leave the office.
During the question hour, the Upper House was informed that Pakistan’s foreign debt has reached to 88.199 billion US dollars. Finance ministry produced the figures of foreign debt during the session, which revealed that the country borrowed US$26.19 billion in past six financial years apart of US$7.32 billion interest, which enhanced the overall foreign debt in past six years to US$33.50. Pakistan borrowed US$6.90897 billion in fiscal year 2013-14, US$5.40721 billion in fiscal year 2014-15 and US$4.45020 billion in financial year 2015-16, the ministry said in its written reply. Pakistan’s borrowing from foreign sources remained 6.520381 billion US dollars in fiscal year 2016-17, while in year 2017-18 the country borrowed US$6.020526 billion, it added. The country has borrowed US$4.550154 billion in the ongoing fiscal year till now, it revealed.
Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Makhdoom Khusro Bukhtiar informed the Senate that a project worth Rs 17 billion was included in the forthcoming budget to link Gwadar with the national power grid.
Responding to various supplementary questions during the question hour, the minister said the government is following the policy to bring all those areas at par with the developed ones which were ignored in the past. He said Balochistan will get its due share in the upcoming annual Public Sector Development Progamme (PSDP) and around Rs 8 billion will be allocated for the Kacchi Canal project.
He said during the last four years (April, 2015-March, 2019), 119 development schemes were received from the provincial governments out of which the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved 43 projects sponsored by the provincial governments. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved 45 projects sponsored by the provincial governments, he said, adding that 31 projects sponsored by the provincial governments were returned to the provinces during the said period over non-confirmation of source of financing.