Sindh govt lying about coronavirus vaccine procurement: Umar

SHIKARPUR: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Monday said that the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Sindh government was lying about coronavirus vaccine procurement, the federal government is providing the vaccine to the provinces.

Addressing in a ceremony in Shikarpur, Umar said that the PPP should be “ashamed” for politicising an “issue related to people’s health”.

Asad Umar said the federal government will provide vaccines to the Sindh government because the people of Sindh are as precious to us as people of other areas and Sindh is ours just like Pakistan is ours.

The minister said when the injustices against the people of Sindh are discussed with the Sindh government then they “remember the 18th amendment”.

He said he will request Prime Minister Imran Khan to “take responsibility” for the people of Sindh and protection of their lives and livelihood.

The minister said he would be discussing development projects later in the day with the elected representatives and leaders of the region, a report of which would be submitted to the prime minister.

He recalled that when PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called out for lockdowns “and when Sindh Chief Minister said no one dies from hunger, the prime minister knew what poverty could do and the Centre announced the biggest welfare project for the help of the people in Pakistan’s history”.

Umar said in just two months after the onset of the pandemic, Rs200 billion were distributed among the people of Pakistan, out of which Rs65bn were spent on the people of Sindh.

Commenting on the broadsheet investigation, Asad Umar said that a former judge of the Supreme Court has been appointed as head of the committee and added that the decision was taken by the federal government.

We do not want to take direct action on the issue, he added.