New social contract for Sindh: CM Murad vows to uplift social sector

KARACHI: Elected for the second time in office, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday displayed a copy of Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) manifesto on the floor of the house and said that he is set to implement what is written in it.

He expressed these views while delivering his inaugural speech after being elected as 29th chief minister of Sindh.

He said PPP won the 2018 elections on the manifesto to bring improvements in the social sector. “I am bound implement this manifesto because our people have elected us on this manifesto,” he said.

Talking about his priorities, the chief minister-elect said that the topmost priority would be law and order. He added that he and his predecessor, Qaim Ali Shah had restored peace not only in the city but all over Sindh during their last tenure.

“Now, we have to sustain it and make the province the most peaceful area in the country because our prosperity and development is dependent on that,” he said.

Recalling law and order situation back in five to 10 years, Murad Ali Shah said that people used to travel in convoys on the highways because of highway robberies and the situation in Karachi was worse than the rural Sindh.

POLICE REFORMS:

The chief minister said that he is committed to introduce police reforms and make Sindh police most efficient, community friendly and effective force. “We had started the capacity building of the police force in our last tenure, under that programme most modern police training in army training centres was started, over 10,000 policemen were recruited on merit, the force [police] was equipped with latest weapons and gadgets,” he said

WATER CRISIS:

The chief minister said that some people believe that the solution of overcoming water shortage lies in the construction of dams. “This is totally wrong; the dams are actually the names of cemented walls but their raw material is water, which we are short of in the system,” he said, adding that the actual solution of water shortage lies in conservation and adaptation of most modern irrigational methods.

He stated that he had conceived a project to install a desalination plant on the sea to produce drinking water. This project would be launched on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, he said.

He added that the Sindh government has constructed best projects of roads and bridges on river Indus on PPP mode. “Our PPP unit is best in the country,” he said.

HEALTH:

The CM said that the health facilities have been established all over Sindh and most of them have been upgraded to the level of Basic Health Unit (BHU) plus, Taluka and District Headquarters Hospitals.

“Our success story in the health sector is our public-private partnership,” he said and added that his last government had achieved some good results in health services.

He also added that the cardiovascular facilities have been established in different districts as satellites of the main NICVD at Karachi.

EDUCATION:

He said that although an education emergency was declared, we could not achieve the desired results as he received in the health sector. He added that the main issue in education is teachers.

“We would give special focus to the education sector by launching most modern teaching methods, teachers training programmes and scientifically improve the syllabus as per international standards,” he said.

POVERTY ALLEVIATION:

The CM said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has directed him to launch a special poverty alleviation programme.

“We have a plan to fight against poverty by launching income-generating programmes particularly in the rural areas,” he said and warned the federal government against discontinuation of Benazir Income Support Programme.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT:

The chief minister said that he would launch different projects under which women would be given employment opportunities and involved in different programmes. We would further strengthen women development department to work for women empowerment, he said.

TRANSPORT:

He said that the urban transport projects that he had launched during his last tenure are near completion. “I am sorry to say that the federally-funded Green Line project is still incomplete and the federal government advised him to procure passenger buses to ply on different routes,” he said

Giving an oblique reference of the speeches delivered by the MPAs who had come into the house for the time, Murad Shah said they must be taught parliamentary norms. “I am sorry to say you [opposition MPAs] were speaking in such a harsh way as if there was a war between the opposition and the treasury benches,” he said and advised them to go to the library and read the record of the speeches delivered by the members in the assemblies of 1970s and “you will be able to know how much decency, respect and dignity was in their work,” he said.

The CM, expressing his disappointment over some of PTI members, advised them to the library and read the record of the speeches delivered by the members in the assemblies of 1970s and to know how much decency, respect and dignity were in their work.

He requested the federal government to constitute National Finance Commission (NFC) in the first phase and give the award, urging the PTI members to ask the federal government to give Sindh its due water share.