KARACHI: Federal government on Tuesday rejected the opposition of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led Sindh government over the promulgation of the Island Development Authority as Minister for Ports and Shipping Ali Zaidi shared a NOC for the Bundal Island issued by the provincial government, ARY NEWS reported.
Taking to Twitter, Ali Zaidi while sharing a NOC of the Sindh government for the Bundal Island, said that the cat is out of the bag and all can see how hypocritical PPP leadership is.
No unconstitutional steps have been taken on Bundal Island, he said while also asserting that the island comes under the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) domain.
Later talking to ARY NEWS, the federal minister said that they have no issue if Bilawal Bhutto has announced to approach court over the Island ordinance. “Whenever any step is being for the progress of the country, they start raising a hue and cry over the matter.”
How could they raise the objection on these islands as they come under the domain of the port authority, he asked and said that development on the island would benefit the country.
He blamed the PPP of opting a policy of hypocrisy and said that they were only opposing the move after forming an alliance with Nawaz Sharif.
Sindh government’s response
Earlier in the day, Sindh government spokesman Murtaza Wahab said that any island in the Pakistani territory comes under the domain of the provinces. “The federal government took an unconstitutional step after issuing the island ordinance,” he said and demanded of the government to immediately withdraw the ordinance.
He further rejected the impression that the Sindh province has not pleaded its case on the matter and said that these islands are and would remain the property of the Sindh government.
Murtaza Wahab said that they presented four points before the Centre on the matter asked them to share the terms of references (TORs) for the development of these lands. “Under the constitution, these islands are the property of the Sindh and the Centres has tried to deprive provinces of their constitutional rights through promulgating the ordinance,” he said.
The spokesman said that the Sindh cabinet has rejected the federal government’s decision.
“We have decided to withdraw from discussions with the Centre on the matter besides also withdrawing a letter seeking progress on the islands,” he said while denying that they had handed over the property of the islands to the Centre via a letter.
We will convey the reservations of the Sindh cabinet on the matter by tomorrow, he said.
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