KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that no injustice would be done with anyone in the name of operation against encroachments.

The federal government wanted to provide homes to the homeless and if injustice had been done to anyone during the anti-encroachment drive, it would stand by the victims, he said during his visit to Karachi on Sunday.

During the daylong visit, the prime minister met business leaders as well as key politicians, including Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail briefed Mr Khan on the law and order situation and the possible fallout of the ongoing operation against encroachments.

On a query from the prime minister, the chief minister told him [PM] that “the provinces can work with the federal government as long as each recognises its constitutional jurisdiction”. He said the federation needed to fulfil its commitment on the K-IV and KCR projects.

Mr Khan said that during his party’s last tenure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the federal government used to launch projects of electricity and gas in that province.

The chief minister told him that the federal government was more than welcome to do launch projects in Sindh as these items fell in the federal domain and asked him to spend more on electricity and gas projects in the province.

After the conclusion of Mr Khan’s visit, Governor Ismail told newsmen that injustice had been done with the poor under the cover of the Supreme Court’s order against encroachments and “we will request the chief justice to stop this operation”.

Mr Ismail said there was no tension between Sindh and the federation. The chief minister was heard attentively.

He said ongoing projects in Sindh were part of the NFC Award. “We have decided to summon a meeting in Islamabad for considering the K-IV water project.”

In reply to a question, he said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf or the federal government had no link with the operation against encroachments.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2018