I ended ‘Dakoo Raj’ in Sindh: Nawaz

Nawaz Sharif said that Punjab had contributed Rs550 million for flood relief in Sindh. PHOTO: INP

SHAHDADKOT: While claiming that he had ended the ‘Dakoo Raj’ in Sindh during his government in the 1990s, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday vowed to eliminate crime from the province. He said he would take bandits to task if he came into power again.

“I want to rid the people of Sindh of corruption and poverty and for that [you] would have to support me,” he said while speaking at a rally during his visit to Shahdadkot.

Pledging his support for prosperity in Sindh, he said that Punjab had contributed Rs550 million for flood relief in Sindh.

“The Punjab government has so far distributed 807 truckloads of relief goods worth Rs550 million in 15 districts of Sindh,” he said, while adding, “It is our responsibility to help the people affected by the heavy rains.”

Addressing a rally during his visit to Shahdadkot, Sharif said that he wanted to bring a change in the lives of the flood victims. “I want that you should be provided with opportunities to progress so that Pakistan progresses too,” he said.

Sharif said that his sympathies were with the people and that he had come to the flood zone to help mitigate the plight of the calamity victims.

He went on to criticise the government for ‘corruption’ and ‘inability to govern’. “They cannot even supply gas and electricity to the masses,” he said.

The PML-N chief demanded a payment of Rs100,000 to each rain-affected family, instead of Rs10, 000, for the construction of their houses.

The Sharif brothers have been frequently visiting flood-affected areas in Sindh. The party has also started setting up “Sharif tent cities” in flood-hit areas and Sharif ration cards are also being distributed among the families.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM NEWS DESK)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2011.