Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the provincial government is facing a severe shortage of funds and will have to carefully assess its financial position before deciding how much relief can be provided to government employees in the upcoming budget.
Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, the chief minister discussed the provincial government’s performance over the past six months, outstanding issues with the federal government, and the current political situation.
Defending his administration’s record, Murad Ali Shah said that despite significant financial challenges, the Sindh government had completed six major development projects in record time during the past six months. He added that these projects were completed with the support and cooperation of international financial institutions.
Criticising past federal governments, he said promises made to Sindh had largely remained unfulfilled. Referring to a previous announcement, he remarked that a leader had promised Rs1.1 trillion for Karachi and Sindh but had failed to deliver even a fraction of that amount. He noted that the federal government had allocated Rs64 billion for key projects in Sindh in the latest budget.
The chief minister also announced that construction work on the long-awaited Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway is expected to begin in January next year and will be completed within three and a half years.
Highlighting the province’s water crisis, Murad Ali Shah said Sindh was currently facing a 41 per cent shortage in its water share and that he had formally protested to the federal government through an official letter.
Commenting on political matters, he dismissed speculation regarding his removal from office, saying such rumours had circulated for the past decade. “The media always wants a bit of spice,” he said, adding that his government remained focused on delivering results.
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