Opposition censures govt for rampant corruption

Home minister offers to resign if allegations of kickbacks for transfers, postings are proven

KARACHI: Budget discussions in the Sindh Assembly turned into political point scoring on Thursday when Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal challenged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan to prove charges of kickbacks in transfers and postings in the Sindh police.

Responding to PTI MPA Dr Seema Zia's allegations, he said, "If Imran Khan and his party prove these allegations than I will resign from politics and return all incentives I have gotten in the last five years. If not, then Imran should publically tender an apology." The home minister was of the view that unnecessary hype had been created by Imran and his party leaders. "Can anyone ask the inspector-general of police how much he has paid to the Sindh government for his posting? We are the ones who appointed him on this post," he said, adding that honest police officers have been appointed in various districts of Sindh who have controlled kidnappings for ransom, extortion and targeted killings.

Earlier, Dr Zia, while lambasting the performance of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government, said Sindh was a province where 1,200 police officials have been facing corruption charges and the police has been totally politicised. "Even after the passage of 10 years, the Sindh government has failed to give a mass transit project in any city of Sindh,” she criticised. "After the federal government, the time will soon come when the Sindh government's people responsible will be held accountable for the billions of rupees bungled in its last two tenures."



She also used derogatory remarks against corrupt police officers in Sindh, which irked PPP lawmakers who protested against Dr Zia.

Referring to child and maternal mortality in Tharparkar, she said, "The government was unwilling to accept the deaths until the chief justice took notice." She criticised the government for not completely utilising its development budget in any financial year. "In this outgoing year, the chief minister in his speech had promised to create 50,000 jobs in the province, but the government failed to give jobs to even 15,000 people," she said.

"I want to inform this House about stories of corruption," said Pakistan Muslim League – Functional (PML-F) MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi. She said PPP leaders and their government chant slogans of ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ but have looted the poor people. Referring to a solar energy programme under which the government had to install the solar lights in different districts of Sindh, she said, "The actual price of solar lights is Rs40,000, but the government has shown it to be Rs200,000 per light." Abbasi alleged that the provincial government has embezzled around Rs34 billion in the name of school upgrades and publication of books.

"They are pocketing the funds as if someone has given it to them in inheritance," she accused, stressing the need to check the assets of PPP MPAs and ministers. "PPP MPAs have now become billionaires with bungalows, property in different countries and luxury vehicles. I want to know where they have gotten this money from," she demanded.



Quoting the figures of the culture department where, according to Abbasi, massive funds have been bungled, she said, "The culture department spent Rs100 million on a basant event and Rs40 million on a donkey and horse race." The MPA said the PPP government had tried to abolish the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Sindh to hide corruption cases, but it failed miserably.

PML-Nawaz MPA Sorath Thebo diverted the attention of the House towards the federal government funds and said, "Not only provincial funds, but the Sindh government is incompetent in the utilisation of federal government funds as well." She said that the people of Sindh are compelled to drink contaminated water but the chief minister has been claiming that everything is fine. "The number of hepatitis patients in the province has now reached four million and government hospitals lack all basic facilities including medicines," Thebo lamented.

Resolutions

The assembly adopted two separate resolutions. One pertained to the killing of Hindus in Hub, Balochistan and the other against Israeli atrocities against Palestinians. Both resolutions were moved by Nand Kumar Goklani, the parliamentary leader of PML-F.

The Hindu MPA, in his resolution, criticised Israeli aggression against Palestinians and said, "Despite protests by the Muslim community all over the world, the United States embassy was opened in Jerusalem. Israel, in connivance with the US, illegally and forcibly occupied Palestinians’ land. Since Israeli aggression continues against unarmed and innocent civilian over there, this House condemns such acts and demands the United Nations intervene."