Sindh Assembly continues debate on budget: PPP terms call for division of Sindh 'Raw's conspiracy'

The ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Wednesday termed the calls for division of Sindh as 'RAW's' conspiracy against the province and slammed the opposition for its criticism of the budget 2016-17. The post-budget debate entered the sixth sitting of the Sindh Assembly but calls for division of Sindh with a new province continued. The treasury and PML-F opposed the new province demand and urged for the coexistence and ethnic harmony.
Sindh Mineral Resources Minister Manzoor Wasan said that the creation of new province in Sindh was the 'RAW' conspiracy. "We see this conspiracy," he said, adding that plans to divide Sindh had started soon after creation of Pakistan in 1947. He also criticised the PML-F for its past governance, saying that its 13 years rule had failed to develop the province.
Sindh Excise and Taxation Minister Gayan Chand Israni told the house that his department had achieved the revenue collection target for the current fiscal year. "It demonstrates the Sindh government's excellent performance," he said, urging the opposition - MQM to avoid calling for a separate province. "We all are Sindhis and brothers," he added. MQM's Muhammad Hussain said that the PPP's proposed budget for the next fiscal year had disappointed the public. "People in Sindh are still deprived of education, health and electricity facilities." He said that the government had not included a single foreign funded project in budget for urban parts of the province.
"There is no proposal for a new university in urban parts," he said, adding that "bias against urban centers should stop". "I also want the division of Sindh should not happen but in the last century 200 countries came into being. Pakistan was established and then Bangladesh emerged. If division of Sindh has to be stopped then exploitation and biasness against the people living in Sindh should have to be ended," he said.
PML-F's Nand Kumar regretted over the calls for a division of Sindh, saying that "such call should not be uttered to create hatred". He also called for a resolution to ban a debate or calls in the Sindh Assembly for division of Sindh. "We will not tolerate any move against the unity of Sindh," he told the house, warning that "even bloodshed cannot help divide Sindh".
He called the budget as 'deception' to the public, saying that only Rs 75 billion could be spent out of a total Rs 162 billion ADP in the current fiscal year. "Where has the remaining amount gone? Whether the amount sank into seas or supplied aboard". He also called the Zulfiqarabad city development project as 'anti-Sindh' with allocation of Rs 13 billion funds in the budget.
Sindh Coastal Development Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro said that the provincial budget was based on 'basic' principals of economy. He said that the Sindh government had achieved the tax collection targets for the current fiscal year. "Three jetties have been installed in Thatta and Badin with connectivity to the fish harbour to help export seafood," he said. "Fish cold storages and palm oil trees are also being cultivated in the coastal areas of Sindh," he told the house, saying that the government could not ignore the rural parts of the province. The house will now meet on Thursday morning.