Come to Sindh and witness development: Khursheed

CHAKDARA: Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah on Wednesday said the government should be ashamed as loadshedding has not ceased adding that if someone wants to see development, they should come to Sindh.

He said performance of Sindh government is much better than PTI-led coalition government in KP, asking Imran Khan to concentrate on KP's development instead of resorting to agitation politics.

Addressing a public gathering here at Lower Dir, the PPP leader strongly reprimanded performance of the PTI government during last five years in KP and termed it a cosmetic change visible only on social media.

He welcomed sitting MPA of Qumi Watan Party, Bakht Baider Khan, for re-joining PPP. He said the party would gain more strength with his joining. Shah said the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had the ability to steer the country out of the prevailing crises. Speaking at a public meeting in Adenzai in Lower Dir district, he said that dictators had always persecuted patriotic citizens to derail democracy in Pakistan.

"Strong provinces are the guarantee of a strong federation. The PPP government had devolved powers to the provinces," he reminded. The PPP leader said the incumbent government's flawed policies had resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of Pakistani labourers from Saudi Arabia. He criticised the Saudi companies for not paying wages to the labourers who had been sent back home.

The opposition leader said his party had raised pensions and salaries during its previous term despite hardships, announced the National Finance Commission award and regularised the services of 280,000 government employees. "We also rehabilitated three million displaced people of Swat within three months," he added.

Shah said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government neither eliminated loadshedding nor created jobs for the youth. "The PML-N government spent funds on metro bus services that should have been spent on the people-centred welfare projects," he maintained.

"The current budget is not people friendly as the government failed to give any relief to government employees. “The federal government totally ignored smaller provinces in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other mega development projects," he claimed.

Khursheed Shah said PTI leadership has made tall slogans of bringing change in KP but the situation on the ground was totally different as no change has been visible in KP. He said people of KP cannot be mislead on hallow slogans of change and they are now looking towards PPP for solution of their problems. He said Peshawar was converted into ditches and trenches due to ill-planning for metro bus, he remarked.

Shah said PTI had started work on Metro bus in haste when KP government has completed almost its five years’ term and people of Peshawar would now face brunt of delayed work. “Anyone wanted to see real improvement in health and education sectors must visit Sindh province where both these sectors registered tremendous upward growth in last ten years,” he said.

He said hospitals were constructed in all districts of Sindh and health delivery system was significantly improved and people are getting quality services at their doorsteps, adding all the major hospitals in Sindh were equipped with latest facilities like MRI, CT Scan etc. The PPP leader reiterated that strong federating units were prerequisite for stable and prosperous federation.

Khursheed Shah said PPP has empowered provinces and gave identity to Pakhtuns through 18th constitutional amendment. He said PPP always supported democracy and parliamentary politics.

On this occasion, QWP sitting MPA Bakht Baider Khan announced joining of PPP along with supporters and relatives. PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Humayun Khan, Senator Ahmad Hassan Khan, former MNA Malik Azmat Khan, ex-MNA Najmuddin Khan and former MPA Anwar Khan were also present on the occasion. In his speech, Bakht Baidar said he was happy to rejoin the PPP which he had quit 25 years back. He said he would strive hard to strengthen the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to accomplish the mission of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. He hoped the PPP would win the upcoming election and put the country on the road to development.