KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday announced to provide plots to 700 remaining members of Karachi Press Club (KPC) so as to resolve their residential problems.
While visiting KPC for the first time after assuming the charge as Information Minster, Mr Memon said that a summary would be moved in this regard so that the remaining members could get plots. KPC’s President Fazil JamiIi, Secretary Rizwan Bhatti and other office-bearers were also present on the occasion.
“PPP government strongly believes in freedom of press and as such has always worked to resolve the problems of journalist community to ensure that they are able to discharge their obligations with peace of mind,” he added. He said that solution to the problems of media men was our responsibility and it was no favour to media fraternity and we have never supported any adverse laws against journalists.
The minister appealed to all journalist bodies to get united and end their conflict so as resolve their problems in a better way. Mr Memon said that journalists were given plots at Hawks Bay during the tenure of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, after which they were also allotted plots during President Asif Ali Zardari’s tenure.
The minister, when asked about the implementation of the Charter of Democracy, said that this historic document was signed by Shaheed Bibi and Nawaz Sharif, and it was not an agreement of any individual or party but an important document for the stability of democracy in which there was no place for personal enmity in politics.
However, there can be political differences, he opined. He said that PTI had introduced the culture of hatred in politics, the sole purpose of which was to spread anarchy in the society and make different classes fight among themselves. He further said that inflation was a major problem and all parties in the government were working to tackle it.
The information minister said that Niazi government had toiled with the economy of the country and all indicators were pointing towards poor economic condition of the country. In response to another question about the poor condition of transport in Karachi, he said that the government had directed to activate the Orange Line to be started by May 30. Initially, 20 buses would ply on it. This will provide the best transportation facilities to the residents of Orangi Town.
The information minister said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, President Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had directed to resolve the issue of transport in Karachi on sustainable basis by giving it top priority.
He said that 240 buses for Karachi would arrive soon which would run on different routes of the city. When asked about Imran Khan’s style of politics, he said that Niazi was an ungrateful person and had harmed or degraded everyone who did him good, and he was still doing the same.
When asked about the water crisis in the province, he said: “At present, Sindh is getting 48% less water from its share of water while Punjab is short of its share by 32%.” He said that Sindh Chief Minister had spoken to the Prime Minister in this regard. “We do not want any favors but only our share of water as per the 1991 water agreement,” he added.
He said they wanted all the provinces to get their share of water under this agreement so that crop production could be possible here as Pakistan is an agricultural country. He termed as misleading the impression that no work had been done in any sector in the last 13 years in the province.
He said that the medical facilities in the province were exemplary where people from all over the country came for treatment in its medical centers. In addition, there is an excellent network of roads throughout the province, providing better transportation facilities for those living in remote areas, he remarked.
To a query pertaining to load shedding in Sindh, the minister said that 16 hours long load shedding was being carried out in rural areas of Sindh and electricity being disconnected for months by HESCO and SEPCO authorities.
He added that collective punishment was being extended to whole communities on wrongdoing of a single person as electricity of whole areas was being cut off for many months. It is illegal and unconstitutional. We have raised this issue on every forum. On the occasion, the provincial minister also stressed the need for closer ties between the media and the information department.