SUKKUR: Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh has said that incessant political interference has destroyed educational institutions in Sindh, depriving youth of their fundamental right to quality education.

Sheikh, who is vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Sindh, told media persons in Sukkur, Ubauro and Mirpur Mathelo on Saturday that Pakistan Peoples Party’s 13 years of rule had proved highly destructive for education.

He said in Sukkur that IBA University Sukkur was an institution of good repute providing quality education to students of upper Sindh but PPP government had inducted ‘black sheep’ into this institution as well to serve its petty interests.

He raised concerns over handover of management control of Public School Hyderabad to IBA Sukkur and said the decision would have negative impact on the public school.

The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases’ Sukkur unit was an important public sector health facility in northern Sindh, which had received Rs2.5 billion in current annual budget but one could gauge its performance from the fact that it failed to diagnose the ailment senior PPP leader Khursheed Ahmed Shah was afflicted with even after his two year stay at the hospital, he said.

He said that in the wake of press conference in Sukkur a day ago, district police conducted raids on residences of PTI leaders instead of holding inquiry into his allegations and now police were trying to implicate PTI leadership in fabricated cases.

“Do not coerce and victimise political opponents and bring real culprits of murder to justice,” he said, adding Sukkur SSP Irfan Sammo, who had been posted in the city for three years, had crossed all limits while dealing with PTI workers.

He said earlier at Ubauro Press Club that basic facilities were missing in schools and quality of education was continuously on the decline. A school desk worth Rs3,500 was being procured at the price of Rs29000 each, he said.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan government’s commitment and sincere efforts for strengthening national economy had started bearing fruits, which was evident from economic indicators of Pakistan, as the economy had grown despite international meltdown in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

He vowed that PTI would ameliorate general conditions in Sindh. Ghotki was the second largest revenue generating district in the province after Karachi and it received billions of rupees as royalty for years but there was no charge on ground in Ghotki city and all towns of the district.

The opposition leader observed that a committee was constituted for the utilisation of royalty but no visible result of billions of rupees’ expenditure was seen anywhere and Ghotki gave the look of ruins. It seemed all the funds had been spent on the residences of PPP MNAs and MPAs, he alleged.

Sheikh said that federal government had completed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor roads, including Sukkur-Multan section of motorway, but Sindh government could not build even a link road to connect Ghotki with them. Resultantly, people of the area were unable to reap benefits of federally funded projects, he said.

He said that local administration had miserably failed in facilitating masses because even funds for installation of 90 solar schemes in union councils had been spent on houses of local influential persons and jobs had been distributed among landlords of the areas concerned.

“PTI will keep raising voice for neglected citizens of Ghotki district and is all set to contest and win upcoming local bodies’ and general elections in the district,” he said, adding that his party enjoyed overwhelming support of masses and they were hopeful to make a clean sweep in the district.

Sheikh was accompanied by PTI leaders Mir Iftikhar Loond, Sardar Pappu Khan Chachar, Amanullah Chachar, Ajmal Solangi, Naeem Adil Sheikh and others during his visit of Ubauro.

He said outside anti-terrorism court in Mirpur Mathelo after appearing before the court in connection with a case about NA-205 by-election registered on July 23, 2019, that the case was false and fabricated.

He had been appearing in the court for the past three years. Sindh government had him booked on charges of obstruction in performance of official duties. He asked if police were really working in Sindh when their work was obstructed, he said.

The court adjourned the hearing to Oct 25.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2021