Preparing for Lyari: It is my job to maintain peace in Sindh and I do so, says CM

Claims the federal govt had promised to help out financially but had not done so yet.

KARACHI:

The chief minister of Sindh is unhappy with the federal government for not supporting the Sindh government during the ongoing Karachi operation.

During a press conference on Wednesday, he disclosed that the Centre had promised to help them out financially but so far it had not done anything. "They haven't even given us one vehicle," he said. "The prime minister promised to give the Sindh government Rs10 billion." He added that the provincial government was facing severe financial constraints as they were training men and buying modern weapons for the operation.



According to Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, it was his responsibility to maintain peace in Sindh and he was doing his job. "It is the provincial government's responsibility to restore law and order as per the Constitution," said Shah. "We had started the operation in Karachi before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif even announced it."

Lyari jalsa

While talking to the media, the CM said that Lyari was traditionally a stronghold of the Pakistan Peoples Party and will remain loyal to the party. He added that the party's co-chairperson and former president, Asif Ali Zardari, will share details of development projects carried out in the area since 2008.

Shah claimed that Zardari will announce new development projects for the neighbourhood at the party's public gathering in Lyari on April 26. He said that the provincial government had not been ignoring Lyari. The chief minister added that development projects worth Rs3.4 billion had been completed in Lyari in the last seven years.

"It is one of Karachi's oldest areas and was ignored in the past," said the chief minister. "We established a university, a medical college and other projects in the area." He added that there were no health, sewerage or education facilities in the area till the PPP government came to power.



According to Shah, the Sindh government also provided the residents of Lyari with employment.

Preparing for the by-polls

Responding to a question about the Rangers' request to install CCTV cameras in the NA-246 constituency during the by-polls and to introduce the bio-metric system, the CM said that the Rangers did not consult him. "The constituency is sensitive," he said. "If something bad happens during the elections, the Sindh government will be held responsible for it, not the prime minister."

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2015.