DADU: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurated Bakhtawar Cadet College for Girls, the first female-only cadet college of Pakistan, in Nawabshah on Friday.

The chief minister said at the inauguration ceremony that the college was constructed during the previous Pakistan Peoples Party government. It would play an important role in educating girls of the area, who would not only serve in armed forces after graduation but also contribute to other fields, he said.

He told journalists after the ceremony that PPP could not be blamed for breaking up Pakistan Democratic Movement and all allegations to this effect were baseless because it was PPP itself which had formed the opposition alliance. However, everything would get clear after meeting of the party’s central executive committee on Sunday, he said.

He said the Sindh government would utilise all resources to control price hike of essential food items during Ramazan. The indifferent behaviour of central government might harm the country as the centre was not talking to any province, opposition in National Assembly or political parties on any issue of national level, he said, adding that people would soon get rid of the arrogant rulers.

He said in answer to a question that Sindh had been facing water shortage for three years. When Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was prime minister he raised the issue of unfair distribution of water in Council of Common Interests’ meeting and clearly said that distribution of water was not fair.

He said that in the next CCI meeting held in December 2019 Sindh presented its report and all stakeholders accepted the province’s position on unfair distribution of water.

He said that the meeting was to decide the water issue but at that time a committee was constituted, which was asked to submit its report on Sindh’s water woes within a month but the report was still being awaited.

He said that CCI was to meet after every three months but its meeting was held after six months and unfair distribution of water was not on its agenda. “I recorded protest over the water issue in that CCI gathering and the prime minister assured me that provinces would submit reports in this regard and justice would be done to Sindh in next meeting of CCI,” he said.

About the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Shah said that the virus spread could never be controlled without cooperation of public and advised people to follow SOPs to contain the contagion. The vaccination process for Covid in Pakistan was slow as compared to other countries, he said.

He said about Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Jahangir Tareen’s growing estrangement from his party that Tareen had still pinned hopes in PTI leadership but he might soon part ways with the party.

Earlier, cadets presented guard of honour. Air Vice Marshal Ghulam Abbas Ghumman, provincial minister Saeed Ghani, principal of cadet college retired Brig Mohammad Amin, MNA Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, MPA Haji Ali Hasan Zardari, Tariq Masood Arain, Nawabshah Commissioner Syed Mohsin Ali Shah and parents of cadets attended the inauguration ceremony.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2021