Miftah targets PPP over Sindh woes; govt hits back

KARACHI:

A war of words erupted between Awam Pakistan Party Secretary General Miftah Ismail and the Sindh government on Saturday after the former finance minister criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) governance in the province, prompting a strong rebuttal from the provincial administration.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Ismail said the PPP, having ruled Sindh for 18 consecutive years, could no longer shift responsibility for the province's problems to previous governments.

Citing an international city ranking survey, he said Karachi's low position in areas including education, healthcare and infrastructure reflected the state of governance. He claimed that nearly half of Karachi's population lacked access to clean water, public transport faced a shortage of thousands of buses, and major infrastructure projects had suffered from delays and alleged mismanagement.

On the economic front, he criticised rising inflation, heavy taxation and petroleum levies, arguing that structural reforms, transparency and investment in public services were essential for national recovery.

Responding to the criticism, Sindh govt spokesperson Saadia Javed rejected Ismail's allegations, saying he should first account for his own economic policies before commenting on Karachi's affairs.

She dismissed the international ranking of Karachi, arguing that such surveys did not always reflect ground realities, and said the city remained Pakistan's economic hub.