Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Thursday said that he was not satisfied with the conduct of Rangers, and also showed discontent on the interference of external institutions in the anti-corruption workings of the province.
“All provinces have their own anti-corruption mechanisms,” Shah told a press conference, adding that “we don’t need other institutions for this [anti-corruption] work.” He stated that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been around for a long time. “What has happened to suddenly activate them?” he questioned.
Shah was of the view that the legal jurisdiction of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is related to federal offences and ideally they shouldn’t be interfering in provincial matters.
Additionally, he expressed his unhappiness over the Rangers’ July raid at Civic Centre. He said people have rights over land, and there were many sensitive files present. “The Rangers just blindly put all the files in a truck and took them,” Shah said. Any such incident requires two witnesses for seizure of property which will go to court, but there were no such witnesses, the chief minister stated.
He further said that no other province has experienced such an occurrence. “In the case of any crime, an FIR should be registered. Without that, no investigation takes place. That’s criminal law,” Shah said.
Shah insisted that he wanted protection of the province’s rights, adding that Sindh, including Karachi, has improved considerably in terms of peace and security. He said the ongoing operation in Karachi is not against any party or group rather it is aimed at eliminating terrorists and criminal elements.
Senior Minister for Information and Irrigation Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said Sindh at present is facing a big flood. He said about 750 Lakh cusecs of water are passing through Guddu and Sukkur barrages. He said there is no threat to any embankment.
He said according to reports, 46 locations are under at risk, which are being strictly monitored. He said about 4 Lakh persons were evacuated from flooded areas and given temporary residence, food and treatment facilities.
He said after the flood water passes, rehabilitation schemes will be started while some have already been under way in different parts of Sindh.
Sindh Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah while comparing the current budget with the budget of last year, he said cabinet has approved Rs142 billion for development schemes in Sindh.
Qaim Ali Shah thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his visit to Sindh’s flood-affected areas and announcing Rs1 billion for rehabilitation efforts.
