Sharjeel hits back at critics of 18th Amendment

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Monday defended the devolution of powers under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, urging federal ministers critical of the amendment to bring their arguments before Parliament.

He was speaking on the floor of the Sindh Assembly during a debate triggered by a resolution moved by MQM-Pakistan lawmaker Qurrat-ul-Ain, calling for the installation of streetlights along all highways in the province. Responding to the resolution, Sharjeel said highways were under the control of the federal government and advised the mover to ask her party colleagues in the National Assembly to raise the issue there.

He said the passage of the 18th amendment had given the provinces greater autonomy, criticising federal ministers Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif and Mustafa Kamal for their recent statements against the constitutional tweak.

Sharjeel said the amendment had benefited people across the country, particularly in sectors such as health, education, energy and infrastructure.

He cited the devolution of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) as an example, saying people from across Pakistan were now receiving treatment at JPMC and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). "Federal ministers should first examine the benefits of the 18th amendment and the performance of the provinces after its implementation," he said.

The senior minister said Sindh had made significant progress in various sectors following devolution, including the establishment of universities and modern healthcare facilities in cities such as Sukkur. He also pointed to the province's energy contribution, saying more than 3,500 megawatts of electricity was being generated from Thar and supplied to the national grid, benefiting the entire country rather than Sindh alone. Describing recent statements against provincial autonomy as "extremely unfortunate", Sharjeel challenged the federal ministers to present their objections to the 18th amendment in parliament.

"If you genuinely have an argument or a position, come to the assembly and present it," he said, adding that the Sindh Assembly had elected representatives capable of responding to such arguments on constitutional, legal and statistical grounds.