Relief activities in Sindh: Sindh decides not to involve PM's Tiger Force

Lack of coordination between Centre and Sindh likely to affect COVID-19 related relief efforts as the PPP-led provincial government has decided on Sunday not to involve Prime Minister Imran Khan's Corona Relief Tiger Force for relief activities in the province.

Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh told media that the relief operation in Sindh including distribution of ration bags has nothing to do with politics.

"No worker of any political party including the PPP will be part of this relief operation," he said adding if we allow PTI workers to be part of relief activities, the other political parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) would also ask to include their workers in the force. "We do not want this relief operation as political drive," he said.

He said the distribution of ration bags in the province is being carried in a transparent and fair manner.

Meanwhile the people from different walks of life alleged that the Sindh Government's relief activities are not transparent. Addressing at a press conference Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said the Sindh government is saying that billions of rupees of aid has been distributed, but the fact is, no one knows how and where this donation was spent?

The provincial minister further said that all committees, NGOs and lady health workers are part of the relief operation.

He said that the workers of any political party cannot be made part of the relief operation, adding that no such instructions have been issued to the deputy commissioners. Shaikh claimed that they do not need workers of any party as they already have so many workers.

It is pertinent here to mention that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Youth Affairs Usman Dar said that Corona Relief Tiger Force will be entrusted with duties next week. Earlier, there were reports that the Sindh government had decided to use PM's Tiger Force in its ration distribution scheme, prompting a welcome from the federal government.