CM says ready to negotiate over LG bill

Says certain sectors taken from local bodies as they were unable to run them

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that his government is ready to talk to the opposition on the local bodies' bill.

"However, if the opposition are interested in playing politics, making alliances, and filing cases let them do so. We are committed to strengthening local bodies."

This he said on Monday while talking to the media just after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of My Home- Al Mustafa Trust Orphanage in Korangi.

Replying to a question, the chief minister said that Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah discussed the amendments with the opposition parties before bringing them to the cabinet and the assembly.

"It was the opposition's proposal that towns have been created in the city in place of DMCs and now they have started playing politics," he said. Shah added that he was ready to talk to the opposition if they have some solid suggestions to strengthen the local bodies' law.

"The opposition has chosen to file cases and make political alliances against the bill. They are not serious in developing local bodies as strong institutions," Shah added.

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Murad Ali Shah said that the educational institutions and health facilities have been taken away from local bodies because they have failed to run them properly. "In their place, we have given the whole entire public health, all municipal functions and representation in other civic agencies.

To a question about the proposed ordinance for the regularisation of Illegal construction, the CM said it aimed to protect the investment of poor people who purchase apartments/houses in a building.

Shah said that a similar law was already operating in the Punjab and questioned why it was being opposed when Sindh wanted to introduce the same.

Orphanage inauguration

Also on Monday, CM Shah inaugurated the "My Home- Al Mustafa Trust Orphanage in Korangi." Addressing the inauguration ceremony, he invited all the children living there to the CM house to have lunch with him.

"I'll invite all my cabinet members and they will meet with you, interact with you and have lunch with you," he said. "You are our future and we will support and groom you for future leadership."

Shah said that he was glad to be a part of the ceremony because it is for a cause that is close to his heart. "Being the Chief Minister of the province, my heart aches at the sad reality that there are around four million orphans in Pakistan," he said.

The CM said he was glad to see that Al-Mustafa Welfare Society was making serious efforts in this regard. "Rescuing the vulnerable orphaned children and giving them a home, education, good food and all the comforts of life is commendable," he said.

Shah especially liked the idea of calling the orphanage as `My Home' because this name would give the children a sense of ownership, warmth and security.

Murad Ali Shah was pleased and impressed by the performance of "these little champs". "These children are our future and I hope to see them leading in different fields of life," he said. He lauded the services of Al-Mustafa and Haji Hanif Tayyab's services for humanity are praiseworthy.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2021.