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KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday welcomed the Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Jinnah International Airport. Both the leaders also met each other at the Governor House later.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan at Governor House on Monday afternoon discussed a number of issues, including development schemes, wheat shortage, locust swarm attacks, increasing polio cases and threat of Coronavirus.

The Prime Minister assured the Chief Minister that all these issues would be resolved on a top priority basis.

The Chief Minister discussing development schemes told the Prime Minister that some of the important projects of the province were pending in Planning & Development Ministry. He said that the on-going Federal government projects in Karachi were also moving slow. At this the Prime Minister said that he would directed Federal Minister for Planning & Development Asad Umer to expedite the process of Sindh government’s schemes.

As far as the federal schemes going on slow in Karachi, the Prime Minister assured the Chief Minister that they would be complet ed at the earliest.

Another issue Sindh Chief Minister discussed with the Prime Minister was locust swarm which have wreaked havoc with the standing crops in the country, particularly in Sindh. The Chief Minister said that it was high time to destroy them in the desert area where they have settled for breeding. He added that their breeding would start as and when desert would receive rains.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he would directed his Plant Protection department to take necessary measures and start aerial spray in eth desert areas.

The Chief Minister proposed to hire aircrafts from China and UAE so that action could be taken in time.

The Prime Minister directed concerned federal government department to take emergent measures and start spray.

In the meeting between the two, the matter of increasing polio cases, were also discussed on which the Prime Minister expressed serious reservations.

The Chief Minister said that the polio virus was not only crippling our children but going to isolate Pakistan in the international community.

“We, in Sindh, have taken drastic measures to control polio virus but due to frequent travels from and to Afghanistan, Balochistan and KPK the virus emerges again and again. Murad Ali Shah suggested to the Prime Minister that we would have to change the strategy to control it.

The Prime Minister said that he would call the meeting of National Polio Eradication Taskforce meeting in which all the stakeholder would be invited to change and further strengthen the strategy to control it.

They also discussed the emergence of deadly virus Corona in China.

The Chief Minister pointed out a Coronavirus-like case has been detected in Multan.

He said that that it might not be Corona but Chinese were working Pakistan in a large number. In Sindh the Chinese were engaged in Thar and Karachi, therefore travel advisory for them and people of Pakistan may also be issued.

The Prime Minister directed National Institute of Health, Islamabad to develop its testing system and directed all the provinces to follow the WHO advise and precautionary measures. The Chinese working in Pakistan should also be guided , the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister also discussed the issue of wheat shortage and the Prime Minister said he would call a meeting on the matter shortly.

The Chief Minister said that new wheat crop would be harvested from March, therefore, the government has to make necessary arrangements to meet the national requirement of about one and a half month requirement.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday visited the residence of Pir Pagara, in his successful bid aimed at wooing a key political partner-Grand Democratic Alliance- in the Federal government.

The Prime Minister was flanked by Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, top Federal Ministers including Asad Umar, Muhammad Mian Soomro and other PTI leaders during the meeting.

The Prime Minister said that while travelling from the Karachi road adjacent to Kingri House, he always wanted to visit it. “Today my dream has come true,” the Prime Minister was quoted during the meeting.

He further said that he was unaware of the issues faced by the key political partner and would now remain in direct touch with them in order to resolve the issues faced by them.

Sources privy to the meeting details said that the Prime Minister also scolded the Governor Sindh Imran Ismail for not conveying the issues faced by the coalition partners to him and assigned the responsibility of coordination between the GDA with him to Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar.

The Pir Pagara also extended his unwavering and unconditional support to the Federal government. “It is an honour for us that you have visited us,” the multi-party alliance-GDA- leader said.

Matters related to development projects in Sindh were discussed in the meeting.

“The GDA leadership also conveyed its reservation over the change of Inspector General of Sindh stating that agreeing to such demands from PPP-led government will hurt the morale of the police force in the province,” the sources said, adding, that the Prime Minister, however, conveyed to them that he had made the decision.

MQM-P refuses to meet Imran Khan

The efforts to woo Muttahida Qaumi Movement, however, did not prove futile as the party refused to meet the Prime Minister unless their demands involving the funds for urban areas, the opening of party offices and recovery of missing activists are ensured.

“Top PTI leadership approached us for meeting with the Prime Minister but we refused it as despite having a respect for the Prime Minister, we do not want to meet him for just a photo-opps meetings,” said the MQM-P top leader Faisal Subzwari.

He said that they wanted some concrete things to happen on the ground.

“A timeline was discussed to resolve our issues during a visit of Jahangir Tareen to our party headquarters but they are yet to be any progress on that ground,” he said.

PM meets business delegation

Prime Minister Imran Khan also met with the Karachi Stock Exchange delegations, business community leaders and industrialists during his stay at the Governor House.

Also in attendance at the meeting were Planning Minister Asad Umar, Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi and State Bank Governor Reza Baqir.

The Prime Minister assured the community of resolving their issues.

The business community discussed issues pertaining to lowering of interest rates, tax collection, gas tariff, fuel adjustment and other issues faced by the industries.

Youth Loan Programme

Prime Minister Imran Khan stated that the youth is the biggest asset of Pakistan and the government is giving due attention to financially empower them.

Addressing cheques distribution ceremony of Kamyab Jawan Programme in Karachi, he said such programmes are vital in the development of any country.

He said that society can develop only when the youth of the country are given opportunities in lifting the nation.

He said that Pakistan has the second youngest population in the world and their talent can be harnessed for progress and prosperity of the country.

He said that under Hunarmand Jawan Programme, the government has started programmes for skill development of our youth.

The Prime Minister said youth can change an economic lot of the country.

He said that this program is aimed at youth and its success will depend on awarding the loans on merit.

The Prime Minister said merit defines the success of any society.

He said that programmes fail when dishonesty comes and meritocracy is ignored.

Imran Khan said that the country is blessed with rich mineral deposits, cultural sites, and other blessings.

He said that our country is endowed with rich talent but that was not given attention in the past.

Citing the success of overseas Pakistanis, the Prime Minister said that is only due to merit in those societies.

The Prime Minister regretted that in past institutions of the country were weakened due to ignoring merit and giving preference to people on the basis of nepotism.

He said that the Ehsaas programme was started by the government at the cost of Rs 190 billion to help uplift the downtrodden and poor masses of the country.