SUKKUR: Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi has said that prices of flour and sugar have dropped and the steps the federal government has taken to resolve problems will ease things for masses in future.

The minister told media persons after offering condolence to bereaved family members of slain Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Sardar Sharif Khan Buledi in Jacobabad on Sunday that Gen Pervez Musharraf had also tried to lay hands on sugar mafia but he had to backtrack soon afterwards while the PTI government went after the mafia members and made their names public.

He said that prices of sugar increased during tenure of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari but the two governments did not check the rise in prices and did not show courage to reveal names of culprits. But the PTI government published their names instead of hiding them, he said.

He said that the government had taken many hard decisions to end peoples’ difficulties and admitted masses had to cope with difficult times these days but they would soon see better days in future.

He said in answer to a question that when name of Jahangir Tarin came up in the inquiry report on sugar mafia he stepped aside and faced the probe. In past, no government dared take action against its people but the PTI did, he said.

Zaidi said that PPP had been ruling Sindh for the past 15 years but instead of improving things it had seriously damaged all departments, especially police, healthcare and education. The government had done nothing that PPP leaders could be proud of, he said.

He said the conditions in the province would have been even worse if there had been no ambulances of Edhi and blood banks run by welfare organisations.

He said that he was saddened by the demise of Sardar Sharif Khan Buledi who was their old colleague and associated with the party since its creation. He had talked to IGP Sindh and SSP of Jacobabad over his murder and they had assured that police would soon reach his killers, he told the bereaved family.

The minister was accompanied by Grand Democratic Alliance MPA Shaharyar Khan Mahar and PTI’s MPAs Bilal Ghaffar, Sanjay Kumar and others during the visit.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2020