F.P. Report
KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that transparency in the use of the Corona Emergency Relief Fund was being fully ensured and the concerns of the honorable Supreme Court would be addressed with full explanation and record in the next hearing.
In a statement on Friday, he said that a highly credible committee comprising of Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, Mushtaq Chhapra and Faisal Edhi, besides Sindh Chief Secretary and Secretary Finance was looking after all the matters related to the expenditure of this fund.
He said that all the money raised in the fund would be spent on assisting all deserving people who had been affected by the lock down. Shah said that all the funds released so far had been given to the Deputy Commissioner so that they could ensure the distribution of rations to all the needy people in their respective districts. External and internal audits had also been arranged to maintain transparency of all funding expenditures, the provincial minister said. He said that the people of the province should believe that every single penny of the Corona emergency refund would be spent in a very transparent manner. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the Hon’ble Supreme Court had been fully apprised about the amount donated in Corona emergency relief fund and the expenses incurred in this fund through Advocate General Sindh, adding that, further details would be submitted in the Hon’ble Court in the next hearing.
The Sindh government was grateful to all those who generously donated donations to the Corona Emergency Relief Fund, the provincial Minister said. He said that it was the people’s confidence in the Sindh government that they donated so generously. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah further said that the Sindh government was well aware of all the people who had been affected by the lock down, and for this reason the Sindh government was in constant consultation with the businessmen, adding that, soon they would come to a unanimous solution.
He said that in a couple of days, businessmen would meet Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, adding that, various proposals were under consideration about opening of the businesses, which would be finalizd after consultations. He said that the clerics and all the religous scholars were also being approached to seek guidance regarding congregation prayers in the mosques. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the most important issue at this moment in time was the health and lives of the people. The provincial Minister said that alike the Sindh government, if other governments had adopted appropriate measures right from the beginning, the results could had been different today.
He said that if like Sindh government, all the governments of other provinces, including the federal government had declared all the necessary standard operating procedures from the very beginning and had implemented strict lock down right from day one when the first patient of Coronavirus emerged, then certainly today the number of people affected by Coronavirus could not had been so high.
Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that it was satisfactory to know that the tests of 2,452 persons who belonged to the Tablighi Jamaat reported negative.
There were 437 persons belonged to Tableeghi Jamaag who were found to be infected with the Coronavirus, the provincial Minister said. He said that all those whose Coronovirus tests had been reported negative would be sent to their homes soon in accordance with the Health Advisory. The Minister said that all these persons would also be given certificates by the deputy commissioner before they leave for their homes. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that all these members of the Tablighi Jamaat would had to quarantine themselves for 14 days at their homes, and in the meantime, they would also ensure social distancing from their family members. The provincial Minister for Information also appealed to the people to stay at their homes and adopt social distancing. He urged people to not to leave their homes unnecessarily, and cooperate with the Sindh government in getting rid of the Coronavirus pandemic. He said that we all as a nation had to defeat the Coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah thanked all the religous scholars and the people as they followed the government’s announced strict lock down from 12pm to 3pm on Friday, and stayed in their homes. The Sindh Minister of Information said that the Government of Sindh expected and believed in the same kind of cooperation from the people. “Religious scholars are very respectful to us that is why we constantly consult them as we believe that the government can not succeed without their guidance and help,” he said.
