The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has assured the Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah to expedite the process of Sindh government's schemes and said federal schemes in the province would be completed at the earliest.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan at Governor House on Monday afternoon discussed a number of issues, including development schemes, wheat shortage, locust swarm attacks, increasing polio cases and threat of Corona virus.
The Prime Minister assured the Chief Minister that all these issues would be resolved on top priority basis. The Chief Minister discussing development schemes told the Prime Minister that some of the important projects of the province were pending in Planning & Development Ministry.
He added that the on-going federal government projects in Karachi were also moving slow. At this the Prime Minister said that he would direct Federal Minister for Planning & Development Asad Umer to expedite the process of Sindh government's schemes. As far as the federal schemes going on slow in Karachi, the Prime Minister assured the Chief Minister that they would be completed at the earliest.
Another issue Sindh Chief Minister discussed with the Prime Minister was locust swarm, which has wreaked havoc with the standing crops in the country, particularly in Sindh. The Chief Minister said that it was high time to destroy them in the desert area where they have settled for breeding. He added that their breeding season would end when desert would receive rains.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he would direct his Plant Protection department to take necessary measures and start aerial spray in the desert areas. The Chief Minister proposed to hire aircrafts from China and UAE so that action could be taken in time. The Prime Minister directed concerned federal government department to take emergent measures and start spray.
In the meeting between the two, the matter of increasing polio cases was also discussed on which the Prime Minister expressed serious reservations. The Chief Minister said that the polio virus was not only crippling our children but going to isolate Pakistan in the international community. "We, in Sindh, have taken drastic measures to control polio virus but due to frequent travels from and to Afghanistan, Balochistan and KPK the virus emerges again and again. Syed Murad Ali Shah suggested the Prime Minister that we would have to change the strategy to control it. The Prime Minister said that he would call the meeting of National Polio Eradication Taskforce in which all the stakeholder would be invited to change and further strengthen the strategy to control it.
They also discussed the emergence of deadly virus Corona in China. The Chief Minister pointed out a Corona virus like case has been detected in Multan. He said that it might not be Corona but Chinese were working in Pakistan in a large number. In Sindh the Chinese were engaged in Thar and Karachi, therefore travel advisory for them and people of Pakistan may also be issued. The Prime Minister directed National Institute of Health, Islamabad to develop its testing system and directed all the provinces to follow the WHO advice and precautionary measures. The Chinese working in Pakistan should also be guided accordingly, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister also discussed the issue of wheat shortage and the Prime Minister said he would call a meeting on the matter shortly. The Chief Minister said that new wheat crop would be harvested from March, therefore the government has to make necessary arrangements to meet the national requirement of about one and half month requirement.