RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has defended the subsidies in terms of electricity, wheat, sugarcane, tractor, which, the provincial government approved within the ambit of law to encourage production and consumption.

He said this on Tuesday, talking to the media at Mazar-e-Quaid where he visited to pay tribute to father of the nation on his birth anniversary.

“Sindh government had granted subsidy to power plants to reduce duration of load-shedding; subsidy on tractors to strengthen small farmers, Rs12 subsidy on sugarcane and also has been giving subsidy on wheat since long,” he said.

The chief minister recalled that Sindh people had to live without electricity due to daily load-shedding for 18 to 20 hours; therefore, power plants were given subsidy so that load-shedding duration could be reduced. He asked what wrong in it. He said all this has been approved within the ambit of the law.

Regarding question of JIT report, Shah said, controversial points would be defended in the court of law and shared with the media as well. He was surprised to note that the JIT report was leaked to the media much prior to submitting it in the Supreme Court. “A TV anchor conducted my interview on JIT report at least five days before it was officially submitted in the court,” he said, adding that leaking the JIT report was wrong and against the directives of the supreme court. He expressed hope Supreme Court and other agencies concerned would take necessary action against the officers who leaked the JIT report.

Answering another question, the chief minister said he had gone through the JIT report but there was nothing serious against him in which he could be prosecuted. “We, as a government have done each and everything as per law,” Shah said.

Sindh CM clarified that that summaries regarding subsidies were referred and approved as per rules [of business] and the cabinet also approved them and the assembly had enacted the law and this has been acknowledged in the [JIT] report as well.

Murad Shah said the JIT has also conceded that they could not complete the investigation within two months; even then, accusing fingers have been pointed at the government that is quite surprising for him.

To another question, he said that recent incident of targeted killing in Nazimabad was being thoroughly probed and the culprits would be brought to book. “After the incident of Army Public School Peshawar, we had launched an intelligence based well-organized targeted operation against terrorists, target killers and extortionists in Karachi,” he said, adding that our Army, Rangers, Police and the intelligence agencies worked day and night and eliminated all the terrorists and their networks; otherwise, dozens of people had been falling victims to the target killers on daily basis in the city.

He said that he, along with Sindh governor Imran Ismail and cabinet members, visited Mazar-e-Quaid to reiterate his commitment to work for prosper Pakistan. “Today is the birth anniversary of father of nation and we are here [at Mazar] to pay him tribute and reiterate our commitment to maintain law and order, work in health and education sectors and make Pakistan, particularly Sindh, a healthy, wealthy and peaceful province.

Earlier, the chief minister laid floral wreath at the Mazar, offered fateha and recorded his impressions in the visitor’s book.