ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Wednesday, said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision of recounting of votes polled in the recently held by-poll in NA-249 (Karachi) was surprising but the Pakistan Peoples Party PPP) had accepted it.
Talking to reporters after appearing before a Accountability Court in illegal award of contracts in the Sindh Nooriabad Power Companies (SNPC and SNPC-II) and money laundering case, he said that his party has accepted the ECP’s decision of recounting of votes.
He said that no complaint was filed on the polling day in NA-249 by-elections during counting. “Six to five parties have participated in the election and returning officer (RO) had rejected request for recounting,” he said.
The Sindh Chief Minister also took a jibe at Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry after his statement regarding poor compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in Sindh.
“Earlier a minister use to see the moon and was also talking about ventilators but now he has become an expert at measuring the Covid-19 SOPs,” Shah said in an apparent criticism against Chaudhry.
About electoral reforms, he said that national consensus on electoral reforms was mandatory.
Shah said that the situation of the coronavirus in Pakistan is worsening day-by-day as the federal government has not taken concrete measures to control the spread of the virus.
He said that Pakistan is far behind in the race of vaccinating people against the coronavirus. He said that he had earlier suggested banning intercity transport but the NCOC did not accept his suggestion.
“Wearing masks is a mandatory step for controlling spread of the Covid-19 and I did not take off my mask for a second during the hearing,” he said.
The chief minister said that the flight in which he came from Karachi to Islamabad yesterday was full to its capacity.
“We heard that the alternate seat will be empty in the plane,” he said, adding that all three seats next to him were occupied.
He said that it was announced by the federal government that 20 percent of the total flights would be operational across the country. About lockdown, he said that he does not understand what we are waiting for, for imposing lockdown.
“The prime minister says do not feel scared but he has been frightened for a long time,” he said, adding that he has been frightened since August 2018.
Earlier, he appeared before Accountability Court-III judge Syed Ashgar Ali in illegal award of contracts in Sindh Nooriabad Power Companies (SNPC and SNPC-II) and money laundering case against him and others.
The court marked attendance of all the accused and the accused submitted surety bonds in the court.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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