Govt has deprived Sindh of its due share of water, funds: CM Murad

(Karachi) Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that the federal government deprived the province of its water resources and due funds which were allocated in last year’s budget.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Monday, Shah said that the federal government allocated Rs742 billion under the budgetary allocation last year, but later the amount was revised to Rs680 billion.

He stated that Sindh received Rs598 billion of the total amount during the last 11 months. "We will wait and see how much amount from the now revised Rs680 billion would be handed over to us," the chief minister said.

Regarding the water issue, Murad pointed out that the Sindh government is not demanding Punjab to give their due share of water to them. "We are demanding the federal government to ensure fair distribution of water resources."

The CM mentioned that Sindh is supposed to get 8.292 million acre-feet of water, however, it only received 5.385 million acre-feet of it. "We are not blaming Punjab for water theft rather the blame is on those responsible for water distribution," he stated.

He mentioned that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa got 38 percent more than its water share while Balochistan received 35 percent more water.

The Sindh chief minister highlighted that it is the responsibility of IRSA to evenly distribute water resources among provinces as per the water accord. However, Murad alleged that the federal government is exerting pressure on it.

Earlier, in a press briefing, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain hurled criticism on the Sindh government, saying the people of the province are suffering only because of the policies of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government, which has failed to resolve their problems.

He said the health system in the province deteriorated to the extent that the Supreme Court judges had to observe that the hospitals devolved to the province should be handed back over to the federal government for improving their service delivery.

Fawad said the deplorable condition of development projects, dilapidated roads, and non-availability of drinkable water and other basic facilities spoke volumes about the provincial government's performance.

The Sindh government has failed to create a competent police force in Karachi despite receiving billions of rupees each year from the federal government, he stated.

He stated that the provincial government seeks help from the Rangers every time as it has deputed the police force on VIP duties and for providing protocols.

Fawad deplored the Sindh government for not convening the meeting of Provincial Finance Commission, nor putting financial resources at the disposal of LG bodies or devolving administrative powers to them.