RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of failing to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interest, saying “if you cannot fulfil your constitutional responsibilities then hand over your position to someone else.”

He told a press conference at the Chief Minister’s House on Wednesday, that the prime minister was bound under the constitution to convene a meeting of the CCI every three months. But he pointed out that the last meeting of the Council had been held in December, during which a committee was constituted under federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid to settle the issue of gas.

“I personally attended the meeting of the law minister and the minutes of the meeting have been approved, and now the decision was to be taken in the next CCI meeting, but he postponed it,” he said, referring to Nawaz Sharif. “I condemn the decision of postponing the CCI meeting,” he added.

He had made necessary preparations for presentation of Sindh’s case in regarding gas, electricity and water in the CCI meeting, which was scheduled for April 28, the chief minister said. But the prime minister has postponed the meeting all of a sudden, which is “sheer disappointment for the people of Sindh,”

In accordance with the constitution, he said, the province producing gas has the primary right to use it, “but the federal government has denied this constitutional right of the people of Sindh.”

The chief minister described the construction of the Motorway in Sindh as defective. “We want you to construct it properly (so that) it doesn’t look like a motorway,” he said.

Replying to a question about whitepaper issued by Dr Farooq Sattar’s MQM-P, Syed Murad Ali Shah said members of his cabinet had already responded to what he called baseless allegations contained in the document.

He denied he had withdrawn the security detail for that party’s leaders, and said it was the job of the police to provide security to people who feel threatened.

“Dr Farooq Sattar had requested for security and he has been given security accordingly,” he said.

In a jibe at the MQM-P that he said that “some people” have a problem with the development schemes he has launched in the city. “Their policy is simple: neither to work for the uplift of Karachi and the welfare of the people of the city nor to let others do the work.”

On the kidnapping of the PPP’s Ghulam Qadir Marri and Ashfaq Leghari, the chief minister said “it doesn’t look like merely a kidnapping case, it is something else.” People belonging to other provinces are involved into it, he added.

Denying charges that only 40 percent development of funds were utilized during the current fiscal, he said about 60 percent more development funds have been utilized than in the last fiscal.

Earlier, Sindh PPP president Nisar Khuhro, himself a former chief minister of Sindh, introduced Zafar Ali Shah, a former taluka nazim and general secretary of Awami Ittehad led by Liaquat Jatoi, who has announced his decision to join the PPP. Jatoi, previously a leader of Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N who served as chief minister, has now joined Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf.