KARACHI, Oct 8: Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon on Wednesday said the Sindh government would hold an investment conference in Shanghai on October 15, with a high-level delegation led by Sindh Chief Minister set to visit China to promote business-to-business (B2B) and government-to-government (G2G) investment.Addressing a press conference here, he said enhanced cooperation with China would help attract investment, create new opportunities for youth and generate employment. He added that development and progress remained among the government’s key priorities.Sharjeel Memon said the third event of Sindh Vision, after Karachi and Islamabad, would be held in Sukkur towards the end of November. Journalists, diplomats and representatives from different walks of life, both national and international, would be invited to the event, which would also be attended by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.He said the event would highlight the development work carried out by the Sindh government across different sectors, describing Sukkur as a role-model district where significant progress had been made.
The minister termed Thar coal a game changer for Pakistan’s energy sector, saying around 14 percent of the country’s electricity generation was currently being obtained from Thar coal. He said the projects had also helped save foreign exchange and that around $1 billion had already been invested in Thar coal projects.On education, Sharjeel Memon said 1,100 new schools were being constructed in Sindh during the current year. Of these, 47 schools were expected to be completed by December, while around 800 would be ready before March. He said the provincial government was focused on providing quality education, particularly to children from ordinary families.Responding to political questions, he said the PPP was answerable to the people and not to any individual, media channel or social media platform. He criticised the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for targeting the PPP leadership, saying the party had so far avoided responding to his statements but would respond when necessary.Sharjeel Memon categorically said that the PPP would not have any electoral engagement with PTI, adding that the PTI should focus on reviewing its own political mistakes. He maintained that the PPP leadership had the right to make its own political decisions and would not take decisions under pressure from anyone.Commenting on the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the minister said terrorism was currently the province’s biggest challenge. He expressed concern over the spread of terrorism in several divisions and said ordinary Pashtuns and innocent citizens were bearing the brunt of militancy.He criticised the previous PTI government for what he described as a soft approach towards the Taliban and said political parties must clearly explain their policies regarding terrorism and militancy.
He recalled attacks on schools, places of worship, security forces and other institutions, saying terrorism had affected the police, judiciary and courts in the province as well.The minister said the PPP had always supported political dialogue and wanted PTI to have political space. He said political issues should be resolved through political means and that the party wanted the democratic and parliamentary system to continue functioning.Referring to past talks in Islamabad, Sharjeel Memon said an agreement had reportedly reached an advanced stage, but the process eventually failed to move forward. He said political decisions should not result in ordinary people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa paying the price.He also urged political parties to avoid activities that could endanger the lives of workers, security personnel and the public. “Do politics by all means, but not by putting people’s lives at risk,” he said, stressing that sit-ins and political agitation could not resolve every problem.On the issue of students from Tharparkar securing positions in MDCAT, Sharjeel Memon rejected what he described as ethnic or regional prejudice.
He said children from Tharparkar were equal to children from Karachi or any other province and that being from a remote area did not mean a student could not excel academically.He said students from Thar who had qualified MDCAT could have their tests conducted again by any impartial institution, adding that the results would establish the truth.
