Karachi, August 16, 2018 (PPI-OT): Chief Minister-elect Syed Murad Ali Shah showing copy of PPP manifesto on the floor of the house said that he was set to implement it because his party his returned in the election 2018 on that manifesto. This he said while delivering his inaugural speech after being elected as 29th Chief Minister of Sindh. He has been elected for second consecutive term on Thursday.
He said Pakistan peoples Party (PPP) has won the election 2018 on the manifesto which he waved in the house and said it was based on the improvement of over social sector. “I am bound implement this manifesto because our people have elected us on this manifesto,” he said.
Talking about his priorities, the chief minister-elect said that the top most priority was law and order. He added that he and his predecessor, Syed Qaim Ali Shah had restored peace in the city but all over Sindh during their last governments. “Now, we have to sustain it and make the province and most peaceful are in the country because our prosperity and development lies into it,” he said.
Recalling law and order situation back in five to 10 years, Murad Ali Shah said that people used to travel in convoys on the highways because of highway robberies and the situation in Karachi was worst than the rural Sindh. “It was the commitment of the PPP government of 2013 which launched targeted operation and demonstrated zero tolerance against outlaws and mafias and restored peace in the city,” he said and went on saying “Oh yes! Street crime has increased in the city but this increase has been witnessed during the last two months but we would eliminate street criminals.
Police Reforms: Replying a speech of an opposition member, the chief minister-elect said that he was committed to introduce police reforms and make Sindh police most efficient, community friendly and effective force. “We had started capacity building of the police force in our last tenure, under that programme most modern police training in army training centers was started, over 10,000 policemen were recruited on merit, the force [police] was equipped with latest weapons and gadgets,” he said and added this kind of capacity building would be made further.
The second priority he spelt out was `water’- irrigation, drinking and industrial. He said that some people believe that the solution of overcoming water shortage lies in the construction of dams. “This is totally wrong; the dams are actually the names of cemented walls but their raw material is water – we don’t have water in the system and the structure of the dams would not resolve this issue,” he said and added the actual solution of water shortage lies in conservation and adaptation of most modern irrigational methods.
Murad Ali Shah said that he had conceived a project to install desalination plant on the sea to produce drinking water. This project would be launched on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, he said. He added that the Sindh government has constructed best projects of roads and bridges on river Indus on PPP mode. “Our PPP unit is best in the country,” he said proudly.
Talking about Industrial water requirements in Karachi and other of the province, the chief minister-elect said that recycled water would be provided to them. “Again, we would launch such projects on PPP mode,” he said. He also said that hardly a portion of water in the city is treated but “we have started a water treatment project and it would be completed shortly.
He said that the provincial government has installed thousands of water supply schemes in villages and town but they have failed because of prolonged power outages and loadsheddings. “We had started solarizing the water supply schemes and in this new tenure this project would be given top priority to provide clean and sweet water to the people of Sindh,” he said.
Health : Syed Murad Ali Shah talking about his third priority said that the health facilities have been established all over Sindh and most of them have been upgraded to the level of BHU plus, taluka and District Headquarters Hospitals. “Our success story in health sector is our public private partnership,” he said and added that his last government had achieved some good results in health services. He also added that the cardio vascular facilities have been established in different districts as satellites of the main NICVD at Karachi. “Now, cardio hospital are available all over Sindh within an hour drive,” he said and added “yes, we would further improve them and establish mote cardio, hospitals and the hospitals like Gambat Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (GIMHS), Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS).
Education: He set education as his fourth priority and said that he had declared education emergency but could not achieve desired results as he received in health sector. He added that the main issue in education is teachers. “We would give special focus to education sector by launching most modern teaching methods, teachers training programmes and scientifically improve the syllabus as per international standards,” he said.
Poverty Alleviation: Murad Ali Shah said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has directed him to launch a special poverty alleviation programme. “We have a plan to fight against poverty by launching income-generating programmes particularly in the rural areas,” he said and warned the federal government against discontinuation of Benazir Income Support Programme.
Women Empowerment: The chief minister said that on women empowerment he would launch different projects under which women would be given employment opportunities and involved in different programmes. We would further strengthen women development department to work for women empowerment, he said.
Urban Transport: He said that the urban transport projects he had launched during his last tenure are near completion. “I am sorry to say that the federally-funded Green Line project is still incomplete and they [fed govt] were advising him [during his last tenure] to procure passenger busses to ply on different routes,” he said and added had he procured buses where they would have plied? he asked.
Giving an oblique reference of the speeches delivered by the MPAs who had come into the house for the time, Murad Shah said they must be taught parliamentary norms. “I am sorry to say you [opposition MPAs] were speaking in such a harsh way as if there was a war between the opposition and the treasury benches,” he said and advised them to go to the library and read the record of the speeches delivered by the members in the assemblies of 1970s and “you will be able to know how much decency, respect and dignity was in their work,” he said.
Murad Ali Shah said that some members of PTI claimed that they would solve all the problems between the center and provincial government. “Thank you so much for your offer – I would request you to ask federal government to constitute National Finance Commission in the first phase and award NFC,” he said and urged the PTI members to ask the federal government to give Sindh its due water share.
ELECTION OF CM:
The main business of the session was to elect new leader of the house/chief minister. The speaker announced that there were two candidates, Syed Murad Ali Shah of PPP and Shaharyar Maher for the slot of chief minister. He held the polling through division of MPAs. The MPAs who voted for Syed Murad Ali Shah were asked by the speaker to go to the lobby from Gate-1 and the members who were for Shaharyar Maher of Grand Opposition to go from Gate-2 to the lobby.
The assembly members issued vote received to each and every member by announcing their manes. Finally, the speaker announced the election results under which Syed Murad Ali Shah won the election by bagging 97 votes while Shaharyar Maher secured 61 votes. It may be noted that 158 votes were casted in the election of the chief minister.
The speaker declared Murad Ali Shah as new chief minister of Sindh and invited him to occupy seat number one reserved for leader of the house. Thus, Murad Ali Shah became 29th chief minister of Sindh for consecutive second tenure. He told the house in his speech that his father had been MPA, minister, speaker and the chief minister and Almighty Allah has also provided him the same opportunities except speakership.
He thanked his party leadership for reposing confidence in him once again. “InshaAllah I’ll serve to the people of Sindh to the best of my abilities,” he said and added people of Sindh believe in PPP that’s why they have voted it to power. He added that PPP was bound to secure two third majority but most of our seats were snatched away and he knows how it has been done.
For more information, contact:
Press Secretary,
Chief Minister House, Sindh
Tel: +92-21-99202019(Ext: 336)
Website: www.cmsindh.gov.pk