KARACHI: Sparring with the Pakistan government over delay of developmental projects in the Sindh province, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah remarked that talking or writing to Prime Minister Imran Khan is like conversing with the deaf.
In a meeting of the National Economic Committee on Tuesday, Shah said that he was concerned over the delay in developmental projects in the province and blamed Imran Khan for the situation, reported The Frontier Post. "We [Sindh government] told the PM to give us the money with the promise to construct roads in a year but they never did," the Sindh chief minister said.
Shah also said that the Finance Division had announced 14 schemes for the Punjab province this year along with 10 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 28 for Balochistan and just two for Sindh. "Only two schemes worth Rs 1.5 billion were announced for Sindh," he complained, adding that it was not enough for the province that was generating 70 per cent of the country's revenue.
Pointing that none of Sindh's projects had been included in the National Highway Authority (NHA) portfolio, he said that the NHA has allotted just Rs 7 billion for Sindh development projects this year. On Monday, the Sindh Chief Minister wrote a letter to Khan complaining of "blatant bias against Sindh" and accused him of not considering the people of the province, reported The Frontier Post.
Regarding the Bahria Town protest, Shah said that the Sindh province was allowed all constructions on the land it had bought. "We were told that a peaceful protest is being organised and the demonstrators were instructed against violence, road blockades and hate speech," he said.
The protest in Bahria Town Karachi (BTK) against land grabbing turned violent as fast food franchises, several vehicles, a showroom and two offices of estate agents were set ablaze and police resorted to teargas shelling and firing rubber bullets.
An anti-terrorism court in Karachi has handed over 120 people to the police for two-day physical remand, reported The Frontier Post.