Sindh govt to implement SC orders

By Our correspondent

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that the orders of the Supreme Court about the removal of encroachments from various parts of Karachi would be followed in letter and spirit.

The minister said this while addressing a convention on “Problems faced by Print Media Industry especially Small and Medium sized Publications”, organized by All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) at APNS House, Karachi on Saturday.

The Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government said first the alternate accommodation would be arranged for the affected residents and only afterwards their homes or residential buildings would be demolished. The minister also said that the affairs of the Sindh Building Control Authority would be streamlined soon. He said that all the stay orders had been done away with the recent orders of the Supreme Court. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the population of Karachi has increased manifold that’s why the government was facing multiple problems.

The Sindh Minister for Information said that the issues and the problems of journalists’ are being resolved on priority basis. He said that like his predecessor Saeed Ghani, he would also work for resolving the problems being faced by the people attached to the newspaper industry. The minister said that he would also request the media to highlight the accomplishments and achievements of the Sindh government in the same way as they highlighted its shortcomings. He said it is seldom that sincere efforts of the government were highlighted by the media the way as it highlights the failures of the government. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that Chairman Pakistan People’s Party had also directed him that all the rightful problems of the media persons should be resolved on a priority. He said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also asked the higher management of the media to avoid terminating the services of their employees, besides taking care of their staff.

About the distribution of government advertisements to the print media Syed Nasir Husain Shah asked the office-bearers of the APNS to form a committee. He assured that all the suggestions of this committee would be implemented. Shah said that the Sindh government never issued the advertisements to the media with discrimination.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah also assured the members of All Pakistan Newspapers Society that all their dues payable by the provincial government would be cleared within a month. The minister said that the PPP government always believed in the freedom of the Press and the welfare of the journalists. He said that the Sindh government would continue with this policy in the future as well. Earlier the APNS Secretary-General, Sarmad Ali, and other office-bearers informed the minister about the issues being faced by the journalists’ community.

Talking about the issue of the replacement of Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Syed Nasir Husain Shah said that the federal government has made the issue controversial without any reason. He advised the incumbent IGP Syed Kaleem Imam to go on leave immediately instead of becoming more controversial. The minister said that constant efforts were being made to destabilize the Sindh government. Shah said that the development projects in Karachi are facing problems owing to the non-payment of Rs. 130 billion by the centre. About tackling the Coronavirus issue, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that isolation wards had been set up in Jinnah, Civil and Aga Khan hospitals in Karachi. Besides, he said that the screening of the people coming from abroad was also being carried out on airports.