‘Resizing is a rumour’
Neither the president nor the government want to resize the cabinet at this moment, declared Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, dismissing the ‘rightsizing’ of the provincial cabinet as rumours. He was addressing a press conference at CM House on Friday, which was called to announce that new members were joining the Pakistan Peoples Party, including former Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) MNA Noor Muhammad Shah Jillani.
On another note, the chief minister said that he had requested the federal government to give Rs5 billion to plug and strengthen protective embankments of River Indus. “We have now learnt that the Centre is willing to give us Rs2.5 billion,” he said. “The work will be completed before May.”
He said the present government will complete its five-year tenure and all the predictions of astrologist will go in vain.
Meanwhile, Shah said that four private companies had been working on the province’s coal fields and 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts of electricity would be generated by the year 2016. A pilot project in Block 5 had been given to scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand to produce electricity from coal through gasification, he informed. “Around 50 MWs can be generated from the project by April. After that investors can approach us to invest in the black gold of Thar.” The feasibility report has been completed and excavation of the rest of the area, where coal mines are located, will be started soon.
The chief minister was asked why the PPP surrenders to demands of coalition partners, like the reduction in oil prices, even though they know the motive behind the demands is political mileage. Refusing to comment, he said, “Why are you people making us emotional?” He then murmured, “The federal finance minister announced it [the reduction in oil prices].”
Also at the press conference, MNA and the president’s sister Faryal Talpur said she did not intervene in the affairs of the Sindh government. “I am an MNA and a former district nazim. Many people expect me to resolve their issues but I request the chief minister to address their issues on merit,” she explained. Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani and Law Minister Ayaz Soomro were also present.
Mirza hints at working with Lyari group
For the first time, a member of the ruling party acknowledged the Peoples Aman Committee (PAC) of Lyari, formed by notorious gangster Abdul Rehman Baloch alias Rehman Dakait. Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza told reporters at the CM House press conference Friday that the committee was not involved in crime, but had helped the police arrest wanted criminals. PPP leaders, including Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, have been denying the party’s affiliation with Lyari’s PAC. Dakait was killed in a police encounter in 2009.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2011.
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