Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that Indian aggression and atrocities in India-held Kashmir (IHK) are a threat to peace in the region, therefore, the United Nations must summon its session to stop killing of innocent Kashmiri people, including women and children.
He said this on Wednesday while talking to media just after paying homage to Father of Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah by laying a floral wreath on his grave, offering Fateh and recording his impressions in the visitors’ book. He said that killing of innocent people in IHK and denying their rights were sheer violation of UN resolutions. “We have to forge and demonstrate national unity to expose the Indian aggression before the international community,” he said, and added the Indian government has banned media coverage in held Kashmir but even then we have to raise our voice to expose them.
He termed the statement [of foreign minister] that ‘we may not be welcomed in United Nations’ as a manifestation of ‘giving up’ much before contesting the case, but he warned “we would never allow you to give up and even if you did our party leadership with the support of nation would contest the case”.
He recalled when Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had taken the case of India aggression in the United Nations he was all alone and had no international support but with his statesmanship and political wisdom he gathered international support and pleaded the case vigorously.” Shah said that this was the reason he was calling for national unity.
Replying to a question he said that the federal government in violation of human rights and Jail manual shifted ailing Faryal Talpur from hospital to Adiyala Jail in late hours. He termed it a dictatorial attitude.
To another question, Murad Shah said that despite heavy rains he, his cabinet members, administration and local bodies and civic agencies remained on roads continuously for days, including of Chand Raat to help people. “We managed to drain out water from the roads and low lying areas of Madras Society, Scheme 33, Yousif Goth of District West and Sindhi Muslim Society,” he said. He added that now all the roads were clear.
Calls for demonstrating national unity to expose India before the international community
To another question, Shah said that the water accumulated in front of KMC head office was drained out by Sindh government. “We all, including Mayor Karachi worked hard,” he admitted and said he would not do politics and blame game on the civic service in Karachi.
Homage to Quaid: Sindh Chief Minister said that he along with his cabinet members has come to visit Mazar-e-Quaid to pay respect and homage to father of nation. He was a great statement and true leader who liberated Muslims of sub-continent from the hedge money of Hindus and gave us a separate country. “Now it is our duty to protect this beloved country from our enemies and work hard for its prosperity,” he said.
He laid floral wreath on the mazar, offered fateh and recorded his impressions in the visitor’s book. He then went to courtyard of the Mazar where diplomates of different countries were seated. He met with them and also met with school children who kep singing national songs during the ceremony.
Earlier, the chief minister performed flag hoisting ceremony. When chief minister reached the Mazar he was received by his cabinet members, Saeed Ghani, Mukesh Chawla, Murtaza Wahab, Special assistants Waqar Mehdi, Rashid Rabbani, Nawab Wassan, Syed Qasim Naveed, acting Chief Secretary M. Waseem and IG Police Dr Kaleem Imam.
On the way back to CM Houe, the chief minister stopped at People Secretariat and met with party workers and had photo selfies with them.
Meanwhile, Murad Ali Shah said that Karachi had received 200mm rainfall, but he, his cabinet members and entire government machinery, including local bodies, water board and other civic agencies worked day and night and successfully dewatered major areas of the city. “I am sorry to say some detractors continuously kept criticizing the government and civic agencies just to take away the credit of our services,” he said.
The government doesn’t need the credit of some self-praising, detractors and pseudo-intellectuals but it was our duty and we did our best to control the situation and mitigated public sufferings.
This he said while talking to media just after offering Eid Namaz at Jamia Masjid Mohammad Yousif Merchant at Commissioner House on Monday morning. He was accompanied by Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah, his advisor Murtaza Wahab, Special assistant Rashid Rabbani, Commissioner Karachi and others.
He said that 200 mm rainfall was not a joke and it had inundated the flat, upper area areas and what had happened in low-lying areas he had personally witnessed and got them de-watered by standing deep into two-feet water. “I along with my cabinet members is working in the -rain affected districts of Karachi and Hyderabad division from last three days,” he said.
Shah repeated his earlier stance that Karachi has lost its natural storm water drains. “Being located in the lap of Khirthar range, the city not only receives the rain which downpours within its extent but it also receives hill torrents which used to drain out into the sea through natural nadi and nalas in the past,” he said and added “now those rivers and drains have turned into residential societies and colonies,” he said.
Shah deplored that to criticize the government was very easy but to find out the solutions and to work in the field was quite difficult. “We can take a bulldozer to bulldoze all the societies, apartments, residential towers and bungalows to restore old waterways but it would cause a major displacement and dislocation of hundreds of thousands of people/residents and destroy their investments, therefore we are exploring other ways and means to construct a new nala or ring-storm water drain to cater to the requirement of the entire city,” he said and added a hydraulic survey of the city would be conducted and then a scheme of nala would be made.
Shah said that he has visited major parts of the city where water had accumulated and he personally installed truck-mounted suction machines and got them cleared for the convenience of the people. “I have tried my best to clear the areas where Eid Namaz congregations are held but the extent these congregations were held on last Eid could not be held this time,” he deplored.
The chief minister said that the heavy rains have lashed coastal belt, therefore he visited cities and towns of both the divisions of Karachi and Hyderabad and met with people, witnessed their plight, carried out relief work and assured them that they would not be left alone.
Kashmir:
Sindh Chief Minister said that he the Indian government has leashed terrorism exercises in the held Kashmiri by killing innocent people, including children, women and elderly people. “The international forces are watching the situation and I am sure the `champions of human rights’ would wake up from their slumber and support and liberate people Kashmir from the clutches of India,” he said.
He said 14th August would be celebrated with simplicity just to express solidarity with the oppressed people of Kashmir. “We have announced to obsrve balck day on August 15- the independence Day of India to express our string rejection of their constitutional amendment under which Kashmir has been annexed into India in violation of instrument of Indian Independence,” he said.
Fumigation:
Shah has urged local bodies and district administration to keep the city cleaning from foals of sacrificed animals etc and sprinkle anti-bacterial chemicals to avoid spread of epidemics. He also directed DMCs to start fumigation in the areas of nalas, low-lying portions and overall in the city to control malaria, dengue and other mosquito-borne disease.
Faryal Talpur’s shifting to jai:
Condemning the shifting of MPA Faryal Talpur from Hospital to Adiyala Jail after 12 am, Mr Shah said, it was the face dictatorial rule, otherwise after 7 pm the doors of the jails were closed and neither the prisoners were received nor released. “In the darkness of the night the dictators like Gen Zia and Gen Musharraf the human rights violation were made and now the PTI government on Islamabad were repeating those episodes,” he said. Shah said that Ms Talpur was ill and her treatment was going on in the hospital but they forced her on the instructions of the person sitting in Islamabad and put her in Adiyal jail, he said.
Eid Night:
Just after concluding day long whirlwind tour of Hyderabad Division, the chief minister visited East, West, South districts, particularly the areas of mosques and Eidgah Grounds and ordered disposal of accumulated water. He got the areas of Memon masjid, Maki Masjid, Shah Noorani Masjid Saddar, Jamia Masjid opposite Sailing Club, Bath Island Masjid at Street 6 and Jamia Masjid opposite St Michel School cleared.
