ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has lashed out at Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah over his letter complaining about alleged bias in Sindh’s development, saying that the federal government will spend on the people of province — not the government.
Responding to the chief minister via a video address from Islamabad today (Sunday), the federal minister said, “I think the chief minister is confused because he is unable to distinguish between the people of Sindh and the government of Sindh.”
“The amount set aside for Sindh projects in PDSP 2021-22, which will be presented before the NEC tomorrow, is a record amount. Never before in Pakistan’s annual development programme have so many projects been set for Sindh,” he added.
The minister also claimed that previously, funds sent to the provincial government had instead been diverted to other purposes such as accumulating properties and assets instead of being spent on Sindh.
Asad Umar said that development projects of the federal government and other federal institutions in Sindh amounted to more than Rs1,000 billion which would be spent in a period of three years.
“I want to satisfy Sindh’s masses that Imran Khan is not the prime minister of any region but the whole country and he does not do biased politics,” the federal minister said, adding, “The people of Sindh will be served and no one will be allowed to come in the way.”
Umar then listed the major projects the Centre has undertaken responsibility for:
- K-IV water project.
- Green line transport project – to be completed by September next year.
- More than Rs6.5 billion set aside for the Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO).
- More than Rs5bn set aside for Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO).
- More than 8bn allocated for Sindh universities.
- Funds for various canals, small dams and water projects.
Referring to CM Murad, Asad Umar said, “Your party has ruled over the province six times and has ruled over the country four times. More than 50 years have passed since it first secured power but I wish to tell the people of Sindh. They did not spend a single rupee since that time on any motorway project.”
The chief minister urged Prime Minister Imran Khan in a strongly worded letter to reconsider the proposed Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), terming it lopsided as it was “detrimental” to the interests of the people in Sindh. He had claimed that the province was treated with “abject bias” since the ruling PTI government had come to power.
