Sindh govt gave approval for construction project at island off Karachi’s coast
Federal Minister for Port and Shipping Ali Zaidi has hit back at the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership over the issue of developing islands near Karachi’s coast, claiming that the Sindh government had given its consent in July this year for the construction project at Bundal Island.
In a tweet from his official handle on Tuesday, the minister said that the federal government did not take any unconstitutional step and shared the notification of the PPP-led provincial government purportedly showing approval of construction project at Bundal Island by the Sindh’s Land Utilization Department.
“The cat is out of the bag. All can see how hypocritical PPP leadership is. No unconstitutional steps have been taken on Bundle Island. Attached is a letter dated July 2020 issued by the Sindh Govt,” he wrote in a tweet.
His reaction came a day after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said that his party would strongly oppose the “illegal annexation” of Sindh’s islands through a presidential ordinance by the PTI-led federal government.
Earlier in the day, the Sindh cabinet also unanimously rejected Presidential Ordinance under which the Pakistan Islands Development Authority has been established and called upon the federal government to withdraw the ordinance at once.
Zaidi also claimed in his tweet that the island’s area fell in the jurisdiction of Port Qasim Authority (PQA) which works under the federal government.
“In pursuance of the said request made by the federal government, the Provincial Cabinet has decided to make land available to the federal government, as per law..” read the notification shared by the federal minister on his Twitter handle.
President Dr Arif Alvi on September 1 promulgated the ordinance for establishing the Pakistan Islands Development Authority for the “development and management of islands in internal and territorial waters of Pakistan”.
The ordinance, which emerged on social media on Friday, stated, “Whereas the Senate and the National Assembly are not in session and the president of Islamic Republic is satisfied that circumstances exist, which render it necessary to take immediate action.”
Its ultimate objective was stated to be the development of cities, specifically on Bhandar and Dingi islands off Karachi’s shores.