ISLAMABAD: Develop­ment projects worth billions of rupees in Sindh, funded by the federal government, have come to a standstill following the closure of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak-PWD), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) told the prime minister on Tuesday.

Led by MQM chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, a party delegation informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that nearly all federally funded infrastructure projects in Sindh have been halted as they were being carried out by Pak-PWD. Of these, Rs15 billion worth of projects were approved for Karachi and Rs5bn for Hyderabad.

The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s House, coincided with a protest by PWD employees in Islamabad, who fear that the department’s closure will leave hundreds jobless. The government is abolishing PWD as part of its efforts to downsize state departments to reduce non-development expenditures. It has announced plans to reassign some PWD employees to other departments, while others may receive a golden handshake.

“We have asked the prime minister that almost all our infrastructure projects being executed under the Public Sector Develop­ment Programme (PSDP) have come to a standstill as they were being carried out by Pak-PWD,” MQM leader Syed Aminul Haque, who was part of the delegation, told Dawn.

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Mr Haque said the prime minister had increased funds for development work for Karachi from Rs10bn to Rs15bn. He noted that Rs20bn worth of development projects in Karachi and Hyderabad have been affected by the department’s closure.

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The delegation also poin­ted out that while Punjab has an alternate department to continue development work, Sindh could use the Sindh Infrastructure Develop­ment Corporation (SIDC) to ensure projects are not interrupted. Established in 2016, SIDC has previously overseen significant projects such as the Green Line Bus Project in Karachi.

The MQM delegation also urged PM Shehbaz to consider reducing electricity bills for ordinary citizens, even if it means shutting down government-owned independent power producers (IPPs).

Earlier, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the MQM delegation appreciated the premier’s economic policies, which have led to a reduction in the inflation rate to single digits. The delegation, which also included MNAs Dr Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal, also prai­sed the government’s business-friendly policies and measures to boost exports.

Calling the MQM a key coalition partner, PM Shehbaz assured the delegation that addressing the issues facing Karachi remains a government priority. He added that national development initiatives are progressing rapidly in coordination with coalition partners.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2024