Federal government not doing political ‘point-scoring’ on Karachi crisis: Shibli

Prime Minister Imran Khan told the federal cabinet on Tuesday that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had been tasked together with the provincial governments to form assessment about the flood losses across the country in order that a comprehensive relief strategy might be formulated for the victims.

Briefing media persons about the cupboard decisions, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said the NDMA would present its report of assessment of losses then the cupboard would decide about the financial package. He said things within the interior Sindh was even worse than Karachi. There was no political point scoring, rather it had been an unfortunate tale of destruction in rural Sindh, including Larkana, he added.

The minister said the losses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa thanks to floods were minimal because the provincial government had learnt lessons from the past experiences and brought in time precautionary measures. He said the people from both rural and concrete areas of Sindh were suffering as they were treated by the provincial government with one yardstick. The federal would offer all possible help to the Sindh people after assessment of losses.

Shibli quoted the PM as saying that Karachi was the engine of Pakistan’s economic process and its development was the event of the country, which was why the federal decided to play its role for the resolution of problems of Karachi people. He said the cupboard approved the proposal of starting a ferry service for religious pilgrims (Zaireen). it had been an initiative of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, and customs and immigration facilities would be provided at Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar ports.

He said the facility Division submitted its report on reforms within the power sector and approval was given to the proposal of closing inefficient power plants.

The minister said the cupboard constituted a committee for looking into the ban on provision of power and gas connections to unapproved societies and buildings within the capital. The committee comprising the Commissioner Islamabad and IESCO officials would suggest measures to get rid of hurdles therein regard.

Shibli Faraz said that the cupboard approved expanding the network of Panagahs (shelter homes) across the country to facilitate the downtrodden and homeless people. He said the cupboard was informed that the govt had paid Rs 1.1 billion outstanding dues to the media houses and now a mechanism had been evolved for timely payments in future.

He said the cupboard okayed issuance of a no objection certificate (NOC) for the development of a replacement LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal at Port Qasim, while the Petroleum Division would make sure that quota would tend to its operators on first-come, first-serve basis within the existing and new gas pipelines.

He said the Annual Report of National electrical power regulatory agency for 2018-19 and State of Industry Report 2019 were presented to the cupboard . it had been stressed that as a results of the problems settled with the IPPs (independent power producers), steps should be taken for future action to supply relief to the people, he added.

As regards the appointment of latest IGP in Punjab, Shibli Faraz said the yardstick was performance and skill to deliver, and whosoever wouldn't deliver the govt would replace him.