KARACHI - Brushing aside Prime Minister Imran Khan’s offer for providing container to PPP for staging sit-in, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday declared that Mr Zaradri is a true public leader and leaders never need such facilities.

The chief minister warned the PM that when he (Mr Zardari) decides to start a marching on Islamabad, the prime minister would have no option but to make arrangements for his exit.

Murad Ali Shah stated this while talking to media at Mohatta Palace where he inaugurated Latif National Conference organised by Siraj Institute of Sindh Studies in collaboration with Endowment Fund Trust.

To a question, the chief minister said that the PPP has no need of [PM] Imran Khan’s container and food. “We have a long history of struggle and sacrifices and we know how to stage sit-in and launch protests,” he asserted and added that he [PM] has gone berserk and should step down before national economy goes further nosedive.

Efforts of Siraj Institute of Sindh Studies lauded for publishing 18 books in four years

To another question about Asad Umer’s New York visit, the chief minister said that he (Umer) must take care of his prime minister because he (Khan) is going to commit [political] suicide. “Everything has gone upside down, particularly the national economy. The FBR revenue recoveries have shown historic low, every day rupee is shedding its value against dollar, price hike has made lives of poor people miserable,” he regretted and added these are the policies of the federal government against which people blistering and would come out to the street as and when Mr Zaradri gives them a call.

To a question, the chief minister said that the Sindh government had spent Rs1 billion on the development of infrastructure in Thar and has finally realized the dream of Shaheed Mohterma Benazir Bhutto by generating electricity from Thar coal. “We are of the view that this electricity must be given to the people of Thar and rest of Sindh but the agreement between the federal and the provincial governments calls for pumping electricity into the national grid through the transmission line laid by federal government,” he informed. The Sindh CM claimed that Thar possesses the potential to provide electricity to the entire Pakistan both for industrial as well as domestic purposes. He vowed to expand the Thar Coal-fired power plant projects, saying that other coal power projects would be established at Keti Bander.

He said that the federal government has already committed a broad daylight dacoity on the resources of Sindh such as gas and electricity and now they are planning to control its coal reserves. “But, we will not allow them,” he vowed.

Mr Shah said that three other coal-field blocks in Thar have been developed and coal mining work on them would be started very soon. “Thar coal is the cheapest source of energy and we as a nation must exploit our coal resources to generate electricity for industrial development,” he stressed and added “today people are realizing that the vision of Shaheed Mohterma Benazir Bhutto to generate electricity from Thar coal was genuine and workable.”

LATIF NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Addressing the conference, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai through has poetry has gathered people of different religions and faiths on a single platform. “His message is the message of love, fraternity and humanity,” he said.

He said that Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai through his poetry has taught us the lesson of untiring hard work and struggle for achieving a goal - the goal of becoming good human being. “Before him [Shah Bhittai] the main objectives was to keep our Creator, Almighty Allah, content with our humble actions.

Murad Shah said that Bhittai’s message was imbedded in his heart and soul.  “When I was a child my father, Syed Abdullah Shah used to drop me at my school every morning and on the way right from home to school he used to recite poems of Shah Bhittai and then interpreted them in simple Sindhi for me,” he recalled and added most of the poems were still in his memory.

Mr Shah said that most of the literary figures invited to this conference have reached very late this morning. “The people who are very close to literature cannot wake up early morning and people like me who are slightly away from literature are in habit of waking up early,” he said in a lighter mood and added “we have to find out the reason of waking up late,” he said.

He lauded the efforts of Siraj Institute of Sindh Studies for publishing 18 books in four years.

“I am sure the institute being run by leading literary figures like Fahmida Hussain would publish more books and carry on research work left by Siraj Memon incomplete.

The chief minister also launched four Sindhi books - Manzar Namo, Mula Ji Dor and Shakespeare’s jo Akhaniyon. 

He also announced funds to the Institute for carrying out research and literary work.