KARACHI: Minister for Information Syed Nasir Shah rejecting fifth increase in the petroleum prices, termed it a mini-budget and broad day robbery from the pockets of poor people of the country.
In a statement issued here on Monday, the provincial minister said that the Niazi government was operating on the dictates of the IMF, therefore, it had no respect for the poor people who had already been deprived of `roti’ by lifting its prices to Rs30.
Shah said: “Pakistan was a poor country, and its people were struggling day and night to earn bread and butter for their families. But, the federal government instead of giving relief to the people was increasing petroleum price off and on, as result everything including atta, vegetables, ghee, and other edibles prices shot up.
The provincial minister said that the Niazi government has come into power under an agenda of griding people of lower middle class into the chopper of price hike by upholding the cause of IMF. “Had it been the peoples’ government it would have never increased the POL prices and have controlled the price hike,” he said.
Nasir Shah demanded the federal government to immediately withdraw the decision of petroleum price increase and announce a package for the poor people. Rejoinder to Haleem Adil Shaikh: Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir reacting to the statement of newly appointed Leaders of Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Shaikh said that he was frequently issuing baseless statements against Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
“I am surprised to the decision of the Imran Khan that he removed a highly educated engineer Firdous Shameem from the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly and appointed what he said was `out-of-school-child’ Haleem Adil Shaikh as leader of the opposition [in the Sindh Assembly] in his place,” he said and added this showed that Imran Khan had no need of educated people, but he wanted simi-literate, abusive, land grabbers and Blackmailers.
Shah said that by issuing baseless statement against the chief minister, Haleem Adil was considering that his political weight was growing. As a matter of fact, Haleem was making himself a laughingstock among the people of the province.
“Haleem has said that the chief minister was being removed but I want to remind him [Haleem] that the chief minister would send all the land grabbers behind the bars first and then would complete his tenure upto 2023,” Nasir Shah said.
Shah said that Haleem Adil was trying to blackmail government officers by issuing statements against them. “The promoted officers have been cleared by Provincial Selection Board-I held under the chairmanship of the chief minister,” he said and went on saying the promotions were purely made on seniority-cum-fitness basis.
The Information Minister advised Haleem Adil Shaikh that the PTI had given him respect by appointing him as a leader of opposition now he [Haleem] should respect himself by giving respect to others.
Rejoinder to Asad Umer: Minister Information Syed Nasir Shah reacting to the media talk made by Federal Minister Asad Umer in Shikarpur, said that law and order in the province was comparatively better than the PTI-government provinces. “I am surprised that Asad Umar says that there was rule of jungle in Shikarpur,” he said and added the law and order in all the districts of the province was much better than the districts of the Punjab.
He said that he had no objection on the visit of Asad Umar to the districts of Sindh.
“Sindh is his province, and he can visit wherever he wants but I request him not to announce bogus development packages,” he said and added the packages announced by the federal government have proved to be bubbles of hot air. Shah said that Asad Umar was saying that the Sindh government had not placed any order to purchase anti-corona vaccine which was half-truth but he should have told the full-truth to the media that the federal government did not grant permission to the provincial government for directly purchase of the vaccine, therefore the Sindh government could not place the order.
He said that Asad Umar was not on the visit of rural areas to take care of the people but he was trying to ameliorate the public resentment erupted against the increase in the petroleum prices. “This is the assignment Imran Khan has given to Asad for which he is running from pillar post to repair the damage,” he said.