Shehbaz decries ‘callous IMF’ amid flood devastation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday decried a “callous IMF”, saying that the global lender had put shackles on the country because of which the government’s efforts for rehabilitation of flood victims and providing relief to the masses had become a huge challenge.

Shehbaz performed the groundbreaking of M6 Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway during two ceremonies in Sukkur and Hyderabad districts. The prime minister, on the occasion, also announced renewed construction of M9 Karachi-Hyderabad motorway.

The prime minister said that the government was facing many difficulties and challenges. “On the one hand, the government is burdened by the economic destruction caused by the previous government and the resulting inflation, while there are the strict conditions of the IMF (International Monetary Fund),” he added.

“We need funds for flood recovery but the IMF has shackled us,” Shehbaz said.

“It is a big challenge but there is no question of giving up. With the help of Allah, the government coalition will work together and mitigate the sufferings of the people. We will not rest until the [flood-affected] people are settled in their homes.”

The prime minister lampooned former prime minister Imran Khan for instigating people for his personal gains but expressed the hope that the masses would not fall prey to his negative campaign. He [Imran] knows the plight of the people but he doesn’t care,” Shehbaz added.

“It is stated that why traders and farmers are not coming out on the streets in protest. He is such a hardhearted person that he did not visit the flood-affected people and knowing the plight of the people, he is inciting the public,” the prime minister said.

“He should come to his senses,” Shehbaz said about his arch-political rival.
“Instead, he should have protested against the manipulation by sugar and wheat cartels during his tenure,” he added, expressing the hope that the masses would reject his campaign.

The prime minister disclosed that the bureaucracy was acting as a stumbling block in the way of making the Gwadar port functional. He said that the freight charges from Gwadar to upcountry areas were being cited as the reason for preference to the Karachi port.

“[But] I told them that the cartels, which don’t want development of the Gwadar port, are behind this thinking. I will not let this happen,” he said, adding that he would like to see the future wheat imports through both Karachi and Gwadar ports.

On the motorways project, Shehbaz said that the M6 project that had already faced delay of around eight years would be completed in 30 months at a cost of Rs360 billion. He appreciated all the concerned institutions, including the National Highway Authority (NHA).

"Today is a moment of joy because the project which remained a victim of a very long delay ... its foundation stone is being laid today," the prime minister said. “By the grace of Allah, this is being done by our coalition government.”

To the demand of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who complained about the poor quality road of M9, the prime minister announced the renewed construction of the motorway between Karachi and Hyderabad.

"The vision of our leader Nawaz Sharif [about connecting all major cities through motorways] remains incomplete without Karachi-Hyderabad motorway," he underlined, vowing to fulfil the promise Nawaz Sharif made for the construction of Sukkur-Rohri bridge.

Shehbaz stressed the importance of completing road access from Balochistan to the rest of the country. “Balochistan is the most important province of the country and the development of Pakistan is incomplete without its development.”

The M6 project is being executed under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode with the federal government's funding limited to just Rs9.5 billion. The 306-kilometre-stretch will connect Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Matiari, Nawabshah, Noshehro Feroze, Khairpur and Sukkur districts. The project will also create 25,000 jobs.

Shehbaz expressed the hope that the quality of M6 would be at par with other motorways in the country. He appreciated the chief minister for promoting the PPP projects in Sindh, asking Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to work on the PPP projects in the other provinces of the country.

Earlier, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah pointed out that the people of Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities, who travel on the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway, were not happy with the road quality. "A lot of accidents occur on the motorway, including a recent accident which claimed the lives of 18 flood-affected people."

CM Murad also raised the issue of delay in the release of federal funds for completion of Indus Highway's 128-kilometre-stretch from Jamshoro to Sehwan, where he said several hundred people had died in accidents over the last five years.

Murad urged that all the 25,000 jobs, which were expected to be created via the M6 motorway, should be given to the local people. "It isn't possible to complete the motorway before the next general elections. But the government could make progress on the project visible to the people."

Federal Information Technology Minister Aminul Haq, who belongs to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, demanded Rs3 billion package for Hyderabad.

Later, the prime minister announced Rs1 billion for Hyderabad’s development, asking the chief minister to contribute matching funds.

Haq also requested the prime minister and the chief minister to visit Hyderabad in a few weeks for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a public sector university. He also called for making the Hyderabad airport functional.

(WITH INPUT FROM NEWS DESK)