PPP leadership urges Sindh ministers, advisers to improve performance

Presiding over a meeting of his cabinet members and advisers on Sunday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah strongly condemned the coup against the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by General Ziaul Haq on July 5, 1977.

“July 5 will always be observed as Black Day in the political history of Pakistan because it was the day when a democratically-elected government was removed, martial law was imposed, political leaders and workers were arrested and tortured,” the chief minister said.

Addressing the meeting, Shah added: “Look at the revenge of the history that Shaheed Bhutto is not only alive in the history but a source of inspiration, while General Zia has become a stigma on the political history of Pakistan.”

The meeting paid rich tribute to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, saying he laid his life for the people of Pakistan. The meeting also eulogised the services of Begum Bhutto and Shaheed Mohterma Benazir Bhutto for the restoration of democracy in the country.

Ministers performance

The chief minister, giving the message of the party leadership to his ministers and his advisers, urged them to improve their performance.

“The party leadership wants the ministers and the advisers to perform better, resolve public problems, develop a close association with the people who feel to be isolated during these pandemic days and guide them how to lead a life with COVID-19, help them if they need,” he said. The ministers and advisers assured the chief minister that they would work hard as desired by the party leadership.

COVID-19 spread

The chief minister said COVID-19 had spread all over Sindh. “Our rural areas which were safe earlier have started diagnosing a large number of corona patients – this is dangerous,” he said. He urged the ministers and advisers to enforce the implementation of SOPs through the district administrations so that the virus could be contained.

Locust attacks

The participants of the meeting said locust swarms had wreaked havoc on standing crops. They pointed out that after heavy rains in Thar and other desert areas of the province, locusts must have started breeding.

It was pointed out that the aerial spray was needed for an hour, otherwise all crops of Kharif would be eaten away by the locust swarms. The meeting urged the federal government to intensify the aerial spray work, saying that otherwise, the national food security would come at stake.

Load-shedding

The ministers and advisers condemned load-shedding all over Sindh. They said that on the one hand the government was urging the people to stay home and on the other “load-shedding was forcing them to get out of homes”.

They were of the view that if such a situation continued, “neither we would be able to get rid of COVID-19 nor improve the industrial production”. Information minister Syed Nasir Shah urged Hesco, Sepco, and KE to exempt the institutions of essential service from load-shedding and asked them to improve their performance.

Monsoon

Local government minister Nasir Shah in his briefing to the chief minister said that keeping in view the forecast of heavy rains, he had put all local bodies, the waterboard and WASA on alert.

He assured the chief minister that in case of heavy downpour, all relevant institutions would be in the field to help the people. The chief minister directed the district administration and the PDMA to be alert and responsive in case of heavy rains.