PPP, MQM-P trade barbs over governance in Sindh

KARACHI: A war of words erupted over governance in Sindh between the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the major opposition party Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday.

The trade of barbs started when MQM-P Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui took a jibe at the provincial government for what he called neglecting Karachi, saying that the mega city contributes a major chunk of both taxes and donations.

Sindh Energy Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah hit back at the MQM-P chief and said, “MQM-P took donations in the form of sacrificial hides.”

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah defended the PPP’s record, stating, “The donations to our hospitals are being spent on public welfare. Where did you spend yours? You deny every good act by the PPP government. MQM-P must understand that they no longer control Karachi.”

He emphasised that the Sindh government has invested Rs30 billion in Jinnah Hospital, NICVD, and NICH, and questioned, “Who stripped Karachi of its vibrancy, literary gatherings, and educational activities? Karachi has now moved beyond hatred, narrow-mindedness, and despair.”

In a fiery rebuttal, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Ali Khurshidi, slammed the PPP’s Sindh government, claiming that “every child knows the tale of their corruption.

Ali Khurshidi responded to Syed Nasir Hussain Shah with an accusation that the ruling PPP of endemic corruption, claiming that every child in the province is aware of the government’s ‘corruption’.

“In Sindh, if corruption is the goal, development takes place. In the rest of the world, development leads to corruption.”

Ali Khurshidi further alleged that the Sindh government has turned corruption into an industry, with annual reports on corruption reading like tales of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.”

The opposition leader questioned, “Nasir Hussain Shah should tell us how many Karachi youth have been employed in the past 15 years? Karachi’s hospitals, roads, parks, and schools are being built with World Bank loans. The province’s ruined infrastructure, and collapsing health and education systems, are witnesses to the government’s corruption.”

He criticised the governance in Sindh and asked the reasons from the Sindh Government for failing to provide water, sewage system, education, and jobs to Karachi and other cities, warning PPP ministers and feudal lords to think carefully before making statements against the MQM.

Khurshidi criticised the PPP, questioning, “Nasir Hussain Shah should tell us how many jobs have been given to Karachi’s youth in the past 15 years? Karachi’s hospitals, roads, parks, and schools are being built with World Bank loans. The dilapidated infrastructure and failing health and education systems are evidence of the provincial government’s corruption.”

He warned PPP ministers and feudal lords to be cautious in their statements against the MQM, stating that the government has failed to provide essential services and employment in Karachi and other cities.

The heated exchange between the two leaders highlights the deepening political divide as both sides continue to trade barbs over governance in Sindh.