Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said regardless of whether the federal government was unjustifiably defaming the Sindh government or the media was criticizing baselessly, the Sindh government would adopt all the precautionary measures which it would deem imperative to save people's lives.

The minister said the Sindh government was following what the entire world was doing in the light of medical experts' advice. He said after the April 24 meeting, when it was decided in consultation with all the stakeholders that the lockdown would be extended till May 9, it was the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar who announced that the lockdown all over the country would remain intact till May 9, but it was strange that now he was constantly trying to give an impression that as if the people of Sindh were facing hardships owing to lockdown.

Nasir Shah was addressing a press conference on Monday. Sindh Minister for Education and Labour Saeed Ghani and Minister for Agriculture Ismail Rahu were also present at the press conference.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said not only the federal ministers and spokespersons but also the cannons of the media aimed at the Sindh government and the impression was being given that people were suffering owing to lockdown only in Sindh, while the rest of the country was open.

Nasir Shah said attempts were being made to discredit the Sindh government on mainstream media and social media by making various false allegations, sometimes regarding distribution of rations and sometimes by misleading the businessmen.

The minister said the focus of the Sindh government could not be diverted from such clever tactics and the Sindh government would do everything possible to save the lives of its people.

Nasir Shah said now people were also aware of the fact that because the federal government itself was not able to deliver, therefore it wanted the Sindh government to do nothing as well, so that it did not become popular among the people.

He said the Sindh government was being defamed under an organised conspiracy. He added that this was the reason that even the work done by Sindh government for the welfare of people was being presented as if it was doing something wrong.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah further said on the one hand only allegations were being made regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, while on the other hand the federal government had extended no help to do away with the constant attacks of locusts on crops in Sindh.

He said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had requested the federal government more than once in this regard but no assistance had been provided so far. He said the federal government would do something productive only if it could get out of its habit of blaming others.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Minister for Agriculture Ismail Rahu said not only the federal government had been constantly informed about locusts attacks but also help has been sought from them in this regard but we had not been helped yet.

He said millions of acres of crops in Sindh were at risk of locusts attacks and in this regard we had asked the federal government that the Sindh government was ready to pay for the fuel of the aircrafts to be used for spraying pesticides as well as for the pesticides, but he regretted that so far Sindh government had not been provided with any aircraft.

He told that a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the prime minister in this regard, in which it was promised that the spray would be started from April 1 but nothing had been done so far.

Ismail Raho further said if the federal government did not take this issue seriously, it could be very detrimental not only to Sindh but to the entire country. The provincial Agriculture Minister said 35 percent of the total area affected by locusts attack was in Sindh so far.

"This is an emergency situation that needs immediate attention," he said. Ismail Rahu thanked the Pakistan Army and said the Pakistan Army had fully supported the Sindh government in eradicating locusts in Sindh. The provincial agriculture minister requested the federal government to immediately provide aircraft for at least three desert districts.