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MQM delegation meets Zardari
By Irfan  Ali
KARACHI: President Asif Zardari has assured the MQM, an ally in the PPP-led coalition government at the Centre and in Sindh, on Saturday that Karachi, Hyderabad and their district governments would be allowed to utilise development budgets in the first quarter of the new financial year 2009-10.
MQM’s delegation headed by Dr Farooq Sattar met President Zardari at Bilawal House, the President’s camp office in Karachi. He complained that that the ongoing development projects would be badly affected due to the non-utilisation of the development budget in the first quarter of the financial year 2009-10 that will start from July 1. Karachi city government and Hyderabad’s district government are run by MQM’s nazims.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had issued directives to the provincial local government department that all local governments should not present development budgets for the new fiscal year. The local governments were allowed to present non-development budget such as salaries of their employees, payment of utility bills, etc. All local bodies are going to complete their term in August this year. The new financial year for which they would present their budgets would start from July.
MQM and PPP’s officials were reluctant to confirm or deny the exemption of Karachi and Hyderabad’s city and district governments.
President Zardari and MQM also discussed KESC’s performance. MQM thinks that the government should take over KESC.
After the meeting, Sattar told reporters that the MQM-PPP partnership remains intact while also adding that MQM would stand firmly with PPP and counter plots against the PPP-led government.
“The people will hear good news soon. Government employees’ monthly salaries would be increased by 20 percent increased and taxes on short messaging service (sms) will be withdrawn,” he said.
Sattar said that the Sindh government has allocated a big chunk for development projects. He said that Sindh should focus on political stability and development in the next financial year.
Senior Provincial Minister Pir Mazhar ul Haq said that, reconciliatory politics introduced by Benazir Bhutto would continue.
Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri said that the local government-related matters would be discussed at the Core Committee of the ruling coalition. Marri also said that the government would take steps to ensure improvement in seafood export and special attention would be paid to the fishery department.
There are reports that President Zardari was not satisfied with the slow pace of ongoing development schemes. He urged the chief minister to take steps to expedite the development work. They discussed development projects of irrigation and the revenue department.
The president asked the chief minister to ensure that landless women get land under the government scheme. He asked him that they are provided loans by the ADBP on easy terms.
From the PPP, Federal Ministers Babar Awan and Qamar Zaman Kaira, Provincial Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani, PPP Information Secretary Fauzia Wahab, Provincial Adviser Rashid Rabbani, also attended the meeting. Federal Minister Babar Ghauri, Provincial Ministers Raza Haroon, Sagheer Ahmed and Adil Siddiqui accompanied Sattar.
Daily Times:June 21,2009
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