KARACHI: Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Sheikh, addressing a press conference along with former spokesperson of Finance ministry Muzammil Aslam here at Sindh Assembly building said Saturday that incumbent government had to face embarrassment within a week and beggars are seen begging from IMF while on the other side nation is on the roads to fight real battle of independence.

 

Haleem Adil Sheikh said that Pakistan Tehreek Insaf is setting new records everyday as public gathering is arranged in a city and nation respond to it by holding gatherings across the country, over a million people hold a gathering on social media while ‘imported government na manzoor’ has become the top trend.

 

Now it is not a movement of PTI but it has become a peoples’ revolution and entire nation is demanding fresh elections but alliance of 12 parties is afraid of elections because the case is now in the court of people who have to decide the fate of the country, he said.

 

PML-N and Bilawal Zardari were questioning the latter but handout issued after meeting of National Security Committee has proven foreign intervention and the stance of PTI as factual, Haleem Adil Sheikh said and lauded Asad Majeed who played a role of a respectful Pakistani. In past they might have received such threats but this time there was Imran Khan who took courageous stand, he added.

 

Haleem Adil Sheikh demanded a judicial commission headed by a judge of Supreme Court to probe into the letter-gate in presence of media while keeping its proceedings open. He said that foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other officials should also be called for recording their statements on the issue. The imported government could not shrug of the letter-gate easily as serious threats were extended to security and solidarity of the nation, he added.

 

Haleem Adil Sheikh also criticized imported government propaganda of Toushakhana and use of Helicopter and said that PPP and PML-N made mansions during their tenures while expenditure of Imran Khan’s USA tour was less then expenses of Limousine used by Nawaz Sharif. They declare their private houses as PM house and spend billions from tax payers’ money on them while condition of Banigala secretariat is in front of everyone.

 

Haleem Adil Sheikh said that Hammad Azhar inked an agreement for provision of 2000 megawatt electricity to Karachi to facilitate industries and business while the imported government immediately after taking charge cut down additional supply of 300 MG to the metropolis and now people of Karachi were facing hardship due to load shedding and scarcity of water in holy month of Ramzan.

 

He lamented MQM-P for not raising voice against injustice to people of Karachi and said that PTI will stage protest against power load shedding in the biggest city of Pakistan. Haleem Adil Sheikh strongly condemned Mehar incident in which 9 people including children burnt to death while affected communities were not provided any relief. He said that fire brigades were unavailable and no rescue and relief activities were taken so far while some relief items sent were looted by Jiyalas.

 

CM Sindh Murad Shah is urging corporate sector to come forward for provision of facilities to markets but he forgot that Karachi contributes 90 percent in revenue of Sindh while over 70 percent of tax collection is made of the city. If everything is supposed to be done by traders than what will be the role of government and the CM, he asked.

 

Referring to Nazim Jokhio murder case, Haleem Adil Sheikh termed it grave violation of human rights and said that heinous torture was done on Nazim Jokhio and now his widow and relatives were pressurized and coerced to withdraw the case.

 

Haleem Adil Sheikh said that these people have come back to plunder the country again but a revolutionary movement has started in the country and what is going to happen is something that no one would have thought earlier and nation will get rid of all these thieves soon. Haleem Adil Sheikh added that yesterday Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s grandson was sitting next to ‘the son of Ziauhaq’ a person who spread indecent pictures of his mother Benazir.

 

While undermining the judgment of the Supreme Court Sindh government has announced to conduct local government elections in haste so that they could secure some seats, Haleem Adil Sheikh said and added that prevailing act is in violation of Article 140-a of the constitution. Sindh government has formed a committee which was not convened for 45 days, he pointed out and vowed that PTI and its ally GDA will protest if LG elections were announced before implementing the orders of the apex court.

 

Muzammil Aslam addressing the press conference said that steering federal government was quite different from running affairs of a province and Shehbaz Sharif will realize it soon. Now he has to ensure tax collection, provide resources to federating units, bring down the deficits and manage all the affairs, he noted.

 

Shehbaz Sharif made tall claims on the first day and then started inaugurating PTI’s projects, he observed and sarcastically added that Metro busses come on roads in just five days that is a record while Karachi-Quetta highway was completed by Murad Saeed and Shehbaz is inaugurating the project.

 

They used to criticize PTI government for getting IMF program but now Miftah Ismail and team was in Washington to get the same, Muzammil said adding that Governor State Bank who was called as IMF agent is leading the negotiations and finance minister was assisting him.

 

They are convincing IMF and assuring to accept all their conditions but IMF is telling them that beggars are not choosers, he said and pointed out that nation should be ready for price hike as imported government is going to raise Diesel and Petrol prices Rs 50 and 25 respectively on directives of IMF while due to expensive deals of LNG electricity tariff is likely to increase as well.

 

In PTI government there was no power load shedding in the country while within 20 days whole the country is in grip of power outages, he said and added that sufficient fuel is available in the country but the same was not being utilized for power generation and they have issued tenders for procurement of fuel.

 

PTI government received $ 5 billion from China and another $2.5 million were yet to be provided by China but no confidence move affected the transaction while imported government also received a cold response from other friendly countries, Muzammil Aslam said adding that they have no other option left other then raising the tax burden on people of Pakistan.

 

Problems of the Pakistan will multiply in near future as different countries and global institutions were not willing to enter into financial agreements with Pakistan until a government having genuine mandate by people comes into power, he observed and said that the only solution to the issue is fresh elections.