Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
KARACHI: After weeks of strained relations between the federal and provincial governments over a complete lockdown in Sindh and then the appointment of the new Karachi administrator, a thaw in relations between the two side was witnessed on Friday when senior leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) came up with the message of harmony and understanding and vowed “to further strengthen the cooperation between the province and the federation” and to give space to each other’s narrative.
The fresh signs emerged when Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Governor Imran Ismail met at Governor House and discussed issues pertaining to law and order, development projects and measures to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic mainly in urban centres.
The choice of words shared by officials in a brief statement issued by Governor House suggested a kind of truce at least at the top of the two sides for an undefined period.
Steps to contain Covid discussed
The statement said that CM Shah called on Governor Ismail and the two discussed the province’s law and order situation, development projects and other issues relating to mutual interest.
“They [the CM and governor] also agreed to implement precautionary measures to avert the spread of coronavirus in the province,” said the statement.
Imran Ismail and Murad Ali Shah discuss law and order, uplift schemes and Covid-19 situation in province
“During the meeting, Governor Ismail said that the federal government wants to take all the stakeholders on board in the better interest of the country and the province. He said Karachi is the economic hub of the country and the development of the country is linked with the progress and development of the city,” it added.
Earlier, after the Sindh government imposed a stricter lockdown mainly in Karachi and other cities of Sindh in a bid to contain spread of Covid-19, Governor Ismail came up with a strong reaction and called the move “violation of the terms agreed between the federal and provincial governments”, rejecting a “curfew-like situation in the metropolis”.
In his first meeting last week with the chief minister after the lockdown was put in place, the governor, according to the statement, softly repeated his stance stressing the importance of Karachi in overall economy of the country.
“Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan and the development of the country is linked to the construction and development of Karachi,” the statement quoted the governor as saying to the chief minister.
The chief minister in a positive gesture agreed with the governor and vowed that the two sides would further strengthen their coordination for better understanding between the federation and the province, which would ultimately positively affect the administrative and economic affairs of the province and its people.
“In order to improve the living standard of the people, the relationship between the federation and the province needs to be further strengthened,” the statement quoted CM Shah as saying.
No discussion about Karachi administrator
Surprisingly, the statement did not mention anything about the appointment of Barrister Murtaza Wahab as Karachi administrator by the Sindh government, which was strongly opposed by the federal government and its allies.
It was not clear whether the issue came under discussion between the two or not.
A source privy to the meeting, however, claimed that there was nothing discussed about Mr Wahab’s appointment.
“The appointment of Mr Wahab is unlikely to face any challenge from the government,” said the source.
“It’s a principle or a political stance of the federal government and its allied parties but they don’t have many options to overturn or challenge the decision. It would go the same way. You may see statements or criticism from the federal government and its allied parties against the new Karachi administrator but they would accept it one way or the other,” the source added.