Corruption in Sindh less than in other provinces: CM

Meets Zardari in Dubai; former president
gives green light to resolve Rangers issue

KARACHI: The newly-elected Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has negated the generally prevailing impression that corruption has been rife in Sindh, saying that there have been lesser instances of corruption in the province being ruled by his government of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as compared to corruption in the other provinces of the country.

This he said on Sunday when he, along with members of his cabinet, visited the shrines of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto near Larkana.

He and his cabinet members also laid floral wreaths on the graves of the PPP leaders.

The chief minister said that his government had resolved to do public service and end the scourge of corruption prevailing in public life.The chief minister said that the provincial police force would be trained to take action against criminal elements active in Sindh. 

He said that the controversy surrounding extension in special policing powers of Sindh Rangers in Karachi would soon be resolved.  Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the law-enforcement agencies would take action wherever they found lawless elements taking law into their hands.

He said that stabilisation of the law and order situation in the province was the foremost priority of his government.  The chief minister said that his government would not indulge in settling scores with the opponents but it would make sure that there were no more instances of corruption in the sphere of governance. 

He said that the capacity of the civilian institutions would be strengthened. Later, the Sindh chief minister flew to Dubai from Karachi to meet PPP Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari there to express his gratitude to the party leadership for reposing its trust in him by elevating him to the post of the chief executive of the province.

The chief minister informed the co-chairman of the party about priorities of his government.  The former president gave the green light to the chief minister to resolve the controversial issues regarding extension in terms of both stay of Rangers in the province in aid to civil administration and police and special policing powers of Sindh Rangers in Karachi under the Anti-Terrorism Act after completing legal formalities concerning the issue.

The chief minister also informed the former president about the composition of the newly inducted 17-member cabinet.  The two leaders also discussed possible expansion in the provincial cabinet in the second round.

The chief minister expressed his firm commitment to improve governance in the province and resolve issues of the masses under the guidance of the Chairman of the party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and the Co-Chairman of PPP, Asif Zardari. 

The chief minister also renewed his commitment to strengthen the PPP in the province. The former president advised the chief minister to complete the ongoing development projects at the earliest, and in this regard his government should give priorities to law and order, health, education and public service at large.

Zardari said that the members of the newly-inducted provincial cabinet should visit every district of the province and listen to public grievances so that they could be resolved at the grassroots level. It is learnt that once back to Karachi, the chief minister would soon meet the chairman of the party to complete consultation regarding expansion of the provincial cabinet.