AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Karachi, May 04, 2020 (PPI-OT): Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said on Monday that regardless of whether the federal government was unjustifiably defaming the Sindh government or the media was criticizing baselessly, the Sindh government would adopt all the precautionary measures which it would deem imperative to save people’s lives.
“The Sindh government was doing what the whole world was doing in the light of the advice of medical experts. He said that after the April 24 meeting, when it was decided in consultation with all the stakeholders that the lockdown would be extended till May 9, it was the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar who announced that the lockdown all over the country would remain intact till May 9, but it was strange that now he was constantly trying to give an impression that as if the people of Sindh were facing hardships owing to lockdown,” he said while addressing a press conference on Monday.
Minister for Education and Labour Saeed Ghani and Minister for Agriculture Ismail Rahu were also present at the press conference. Shah said that not only the federal ministers and federal spokespersons but also the cannons of the media were aimed at the Sindh government and the impression was being given that people were suffering owing to lockdown only in Sindh, while the rest of the country was open.
He said that attempts were being made to discredit the Sindh government on mainstream media and social media by making various false allegations, sometimes regarding the distribution of rations and sometimes by misleading the businessmen. He said that the focus of the Sindh government could not be diverted from such clever tactics and the Sindh government would do everything possible to save the lives of its people.
Shah said that now people were also aware of the fact that because the federal government itself was not able to deliver, therefore, it wanted the Sindh government to do nothing as well, so that it did not become popular among the people. The provincial minister said that the Sindh government was being defamed under an organized conspiracy. He said that this was the reason that even the work done by the Sindh government for the welfare of the people was being presented as if it was doing something wrong.
Shah further said that on the one hand only allegations were being made regarding the pandemic of coronavirus, while on the other hand, the federal government had extended no help to do away with the constant attacks of locusts on crops in Sindh. The provincial minister said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had requested the federal government more than once in this regard but no assistance had been provided so far. He said that the federal government would do something productive only if it could get out of its habit of blaming others.
Speaking on the occasion, Ismail Rahu, Provincial Minister for Agriculture, said that not only the federal government had been constantly informed about locusts attacks but also help has been sought from them in this regard but we had not been helped yet. The provincial minister said that millions of acres of crops in Sindh were at risk of locusts attacks and in this regard, we had asked the federal government that the Sindh government was ready to pay for the fuel of the aircraft to be used for spraying pesticides as well as for the pesticides, but he regretted that so far Sindh government had not been provided with any aircraft.
He said that a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister in this regard, in which it was promised that the spray would be started from April 1 but so far nothing had been done. Raho further said that if the federal government did not take this issue seriously, it could be very detrimental not only to Sindh but to the entire country.
The provincial Agriculture Minister said that so far 35% of the total area affected by locusts’ attack was in Sindh. “This is an emergency situation that needs immediate attention,” he said. Rahu thanked the Pakistan Army and said that the Pakistan Army had fully supported the Sindh government in eradicating locusts in Sindh. The provincial agriculture minister requested the federal government to immediately provide aircraft for at least three desert districts.
For more information, contact:
Sindh Information and Archives Department
Government of Sindh
95-Sindh Secretariat 4-B, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-99204423, +92-21-99204401
Email: pressinformationzubair@gmail.com
Website: http://sindhinformation.gos.pk