Senior minister also touts billions in coal investment and new energy regulator in wide-ranging press conference
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon addresses the press conference in Karachi. Photo: Express/ File
KARACHI:
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Wednesday accused the Governor’s House and federal ministers of conspiring against the provincial government, calling on the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party to demand answers from the federal government.
“Your federal ministers are engaged in schemes against the Sindh government. Continuous conspiracies are being hatched against the Sindh government from the Governor’s House,” he said, adding that the party’s leadership had been told that federal ministers were actively working against the provincial administration.
Memon made the remarks at a press conference where he also announced that Sindh had invested over $8 billion in coal projects and established a regulatory authority as part of efforts to make the province self-reliant in the power sector. He said the Sindh Electric Regulatory Authority had been established following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
He said the $1b investment in the Thar coal project alone had made it an important and effective energy source, with electricity being integrated into the national grid and supplied across Pakistan. The biggest challenge facing Pakistan was the energy crisis, and the cheapest electricity was being generated from coal, he said, adding that “the Sindh government wants to stand on its own feet and is taking practical steps to make the province economically stable.”
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Memon said the cabinet had also approved facilities for women involved in the agricultural sector, with a comprehensive database of women farmers across Sindh being created to provide them with effective support. For the business community, he announced that traders would be provided all online facilities within ten days. The minister also announced that a railway line was being laid to Tharparkar to improve travel and trade connectivity.
Turning to Karachi, Memon pushed back against what he called constant and unjustified criticism of the city. He said thousands of people came to Karachi daily for employment, healthcare and business, and that roughly 50% of patients in Karachi hospitals came from outside the city, with expenses covered by the Sindh government.
“Criticism is easy, but ground realities are different,” he said, adding that despite its challenges, Karachi remained the backbone of the country’s economy.
On infrastructure, Memon said the Shaheed Bhutto Road project was in its final stages and was expected to be inaugurated in the first or second week of April. He acknowledged that the Red Line project had faced severe challenges but said the government was taking serious steps to address them.
The minister stated that funds collected under the Infrastructure Cess were currently deposited in the Supreme Court and had not yet been received by the Sindh government, with a committee led by former Sindh minister Mukesh Chawla formed to resolve the matter.
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On healthcare, Memon highlighted that Gambat now had liver transplant facilities, removing the need for patients to travel abroad. Moving to law enforcement, he said the Sindh Police had killed 28 dacoits and secured the surrender of 187 others over the past two months.
Memon also condemned the murder of Dr Mehwish in Kohat, saying no amount of condemnation was sufficient, and praised the security forces for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
Responding to recent media reports about an alleged meeting of President Asif Ali Zardari, he dismissed the coverage as sensationalism, saying nothing of concern had occurred and that he and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari regularly received briefings as part of routine government business.
