CM Sindh condemns postponement of CCI meeting

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday criticized Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for abruptly cancelling the meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI), ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference,  CM Sindh said that the prime minister has failed to fulfill his constitutional responsibility of convening the meeting of CCI.

“If you [PM] cannot fulfil your constitutional responsibilities then hand over your position to someone else,” he said adding that it is sheer disappointment for people of Sindh.

He said necessary preparations were made to present the case of Sindh over gas, electricity and water in the meeting, but all of sudden the prime minister postponed the meeting.

He said the “constitution states the province which produces gas has first and foremost right to use it but the federal government has denied this constitutional right of people of Sindh.”

CM Sindh said that under the constitution the prime minister is bound to convene CCI meeting after every three months, but the last meeting was held in December in which a committee was constituted under the federal law minister to settle the issue of gas.

“I had personally attended the meeting of the law minister and the minutes of the meeting have been approved and now the decision was to be taken in the CCI meeting but he postponed it,” he said and condemned the decision to postpone the CCI meeting.

Replying to a question, CM Sindh said that the construction of the motorway is defective, and the federal government should construct it properly.

Baseless allegations by MQM-P 

He said that the Sindh government has already responded to baseless allegations in the whitepaper issued by Muttahida Quami Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P).

“They do not know about the number of administrative divisions and they are talking about issues.”

He denied to have withdrawn the security of MQM-P leaders and said it was the job of police to provide security to the people who feel threatened.

“Dr Farooq Sattar had requested for security and he has been given security accordingly,” he said.

He said the MQM-P] have some problem with the development schemes he has launched in the city, and that their policy is to `neither work for the uplift of Karachi and welfare of the people of the city nor let others work for them.”

“ I am telling them that I would be serving the people of Karachi with my heart and soul,” he said.

He brushed aside the impression that only forty percent development funds have been utilised during the current fiscal, but rather about 60 percent more development funds have been used than last year.