Imran accuses past rulers of patronising graft – Newspaper

KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday blamed the corruption of previous rulers for the country's economic problems and assured the leaders and legislators of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the coalition partners of the Muttahida Qaumi- Movement coalition Pakistan and the Great Democratic Alliance that your government will extend Support to solve the problems of Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

The prime minister spent a few busy hours in Karachi, where he held consecutive meetings with the leaders of his party and allies, including those of the GDA who had defeated the Popular Party of Pakistan in the recent partial survey of Larkana, but avoided seeing the prime minister from Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, even at official meetings related to development projects in Karachi, while blaming "corruption" as the key reason that had deprived people of the basic facilities of life.

Mr. Khan landed in the old terminal of Quaid-i-Azam International Airport in the afternoon and concluded his visit a few hours before flying to Hub to address the inauguration ceremony of the China-Hub Power Generation Plant of 1,320 megawatts, the first energy project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and a joint venture between China Power and Hub Power Company.

He meets with the leaders of his party, MQM-P and GDA; a PM-Sindh CM meeting was not held

During meetings and speeches on different occasions in Karachi and Hub, the prime minister focused on his stance against corruption.

The reasons for the PM-CM distance were later measured through official statements issued on Mr. Khan's commitments in Karachi citing his strong position against corruption in Sindh during meetings with his party leaders and those in coalition with his government in the Center.

Amid the growing tension between the federal government led by the PTI and the provincial government led by the PPP, it was a surprise to many that the Sindh prime minister remained absent from the scene during Khan's commitments in the capital of the province , in which he not only had a political position. discussions but also chaired a meeting related to development projects.

Speaking to the elected PTI legislators from Karachi, Khan said the federal government was aware of civic problems particularly related to transportation and waste management and was ready to play its part according to available resources. During the discussion, he advocated the corruption case and regretted the deterioration of Karachi's situation.

"Unfortunately, due to corruption, the people of Sindh Province are deprived of the basic facilities of life, including drinking water, health and education," Mr. Khan said, according to the statement, while presiding a project meeting of Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited.

He said: “The federal government has assumed responsibility for these works, which have been the obligation of the provincial government to undertake. The federal government is doing everything possible to solve the problems people face in Karachi. "

The official statement also quoted the prime minister as saying that "previous governments had ignored the problems of the metropolitan and its people."

“Our government inherited the greatest burden of fiscal debt, so measures are being taken to improve the financial situation. Corruption is the main reason behind the poor situation of the administration in Karachi. "

The prime minister's visit was an opportunity for political experts to peek into the future strategy of the PTI in Sindh when Khan secured his support for the anti-PPP alliance, the GDA, and promised to extend the social welfare program launched by the government federal to rural areas of Sindh

“Prime Minister Imran Khan said the federal government would expand the coverage of the Ehsaas and Sehat Insaf programs to the interior of Sindh. The prime minister gave this guarantee to a GDA delegation that visited him here and informed him about the problems facing people in his constituencies, ”the statement said.

The promises and guarantees were also extended to MQM-P leaders when Prime Minister Khan said the federal government was aware of the basic challenges facing Karachi residents.

"The federal government is fully committed to addressing them in the long term," he said while speaking with the MQM-P delegation led by federal minister Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and composed of the mayor of Karachi, Wasim Akhter, Nasreen Jalil, Aminul Haq , Faisal Sabzwari and others.

Khan said a pragmatic approach was needed to solve megacity problems.

"The prime minister was of the opinion that the country's shopping center could not be ignored and the federal government would ensure that its potential was fully explored." The PTI government maintained its commitment and would help solve the problems of water scarcity, inadequate waste management, poor transportation and others forever. The quality of life, security and adequate livelihoods are the basic rights of each citizen that could be materialized through significant efforts along with coordination among all stakeholders. "

Later, during his speech at the Hub ceremony, the prime minister said that foreign investment could not be attracted until the country was purged of corruption and his government made sure that every process of doing business in the country was easy and No problem. Without facing bureaucracy.

"Allah has given us everything, but we are indebted, because we could not establish the system of government that could have been delivered," Khan said as he addressed the ceremony in Hub and referred to the Reko Diq saga to establish his argument.

“Look at the Reko Diq case. We could have earned billions, but they fined us with six billion dollars in that project, because the people in charge of the issues just to fill their pockets deprived the country of billions of foreign investment. Recently, I met the head of the company, which is in the process of contract at Reko Diq, and he told me that his company is showing interest because they have come to know that his [PM Imran Khan] the government is clean. "

Posted on Dawn, October 22, 2019