Sindh to see a new era under PML-N, promises Nawaz

Kick-starting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) public campaign in Sindh, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Monday touched on a variety of national issues and promised to end unemployment, discrimination, nepotism, adding that his party would make Sindh a “citadel of peace.”

The PML-N leader promised soft loan with less mark-up rate for unemployed skilled youth if he was voted into power.

He said that his past performance in government, when he had put an end to dacoit raj in Sindh, was evidence of the fact that he had always served the masses.

The PML-N chief was addressing a crowd of several thousand people in Shalimar garden in support of Dr Rahila Magsi and her brother Dr Irfan Gul Magsi, who are respectively contesting on NA-223 and PS-51 of the district on PML-N tickets.

Magsis are considered a formidable force as Dr Irfan had won PS-52 in the 2002 general elections when Tando Allahyar was carved out of Hyderabad district as a separate district.

His elder sister Dr Rahila Magsi became the first district nazim of the area, executing noticeable development works that made them a force to be reckoned with in this otherwise stronghold of the PPP.

Critical economy

“Today Pakistan is indebted to the tune of Rs15800 billion. When Musharraf departed loans stood at Rs 6000 billion and now after five years of this government, the loan of Rs 15,800 billion is staggering,” he said.

Dr Rahila and Dr Irfan also spoke on the occasion, urging Nawaz Sharif to give status of a taluka (administrative division) to the historic Nasarpur town if PML-N formed the next government.

They also said that rotation of irrigation water should be put to an end because farmers, whose lands are located at the tail-end, do not get irrigation water and suffer badly from water scarcity.

Sharif also promised that the metro bus service would be run in Karachi on the pattern of Lahore’s metro bus service.

No aid during disasters

Nawaz criticised President Asif Zardari for not coming to the rescue of the people of Sindh when they were hit by floods in two back-to-back disasters.

“Zardari was visiting London and Paris when his people in Sindh were drowning and their farmlands were inundated in rainwater and floodwater. I came to Sindh and brought huge quantity of relief goods,” he said while referring to the 2010 and 2011 floods and rains which caused serious losses to farmers.

Poor security

The former premier said that the apex court had clearly stated that certain parties had their own militant wings but the president did not take any action against them.

“There are people who had murdered 50 to 100 people. How could you tolerate all this, Mr President,” Nawaz questioned.

No governance

He criticised the Sindh government for not distributing laptops the way the Punjab government did.

“Don’t the people of Sindh deserve laptops?” he asked.

He announced that medical colleges and universities would be established in Sindh and lawlessness would be put to an end.

Sharif said that today organisations like PIA and railways are not functioning, stating that when he had criticised President Zardari his spokesman felt offended.

“Did Zardari do anything that deserves appreciation?” he asked the crowd. Sharif said that jobs were sold in Sindh but in Punjab they were given on merit.

Dr Rahila said that 75 per cent of tail-end areas of the district where Asif Zardari owned two sugar mills did not get irrigation water.

She said that as district nazim she had provided gas to 75 villages, brought electricity to 400 villages and built 716 kilometers of roads and 300 bedded hospitals.

Dr Irfan Magsi urged Nawaz Sharif to end rotation programme of irrigation water for tail-end farmers.

He called for building new irrigation water distributaries, so that water scarcity in areas of Jhando Mari, Misan and Chambar could end.

Senior vice president of Sindh United Party (SUP) Shah Mohammad Shah announced in the public meeting that he was joining the PML-N.

His son is contesting on PS-43 of Matiari district.