KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said he doesn't know if back door contacts between Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the establishment have been established. The chief minister expresses these views while talking to the media here at Sindh Assembly Building on Tuesday.

To a question about the back door contact between the PDM and the Establishment, Murad Ali Shah said, "This is purely a matter of the PDM leadership and I don't know what is happening there." To another question about the Workers Welfare Fund (WWF), the CM said the WWF, under the 18th constitutional amendment, was devolved to the provinces. He added that the provincial assembly has passed a bill to collect WWF and engaged the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) to collect the fund on behalf of the Workers Welfare Board.

The federal government which has bitterly failed to achieve its revenue collection targets has now come up with the decision to centralize WWF collection. "I don't remember when the WWF collection agenda was taken up in the CCI meeting," he said and added he would check it with the minutes and other document then he'll brief the media about the provincial government stance on the matter but this is very clear that the CCI could not supersede the provincial law," he said.

Replying to a question about acute shortage of natural gas in Sindh, the chief minister said the Sindh province was the largest gas producer in the country and its people have the first and foremost right to use it. "I strongly condemn the act of depriving people of Sindh from their constitutional right for using the gas," he said and added that his government would take up the issue with the federal government.

To another question, Murad Ali Shah said that PPP was organizing a public meeting on December 27 at Garhi Khuda Bux to observe the death anniversary of Shaheed Mohterma Benazir Bhutto.

Replying to a question about Shahbaz Gill's statement, the chief minister said his [Mr Gill's] statement was a pack of lies. "I went to America for a private visit and behind me some `talking machines' started running the`rumor mills," he said and added he had no need to respond to the baseless statements of such people.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020