Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President and former Opposition Leader in Sindh, Haleem Adil Sheikh, addressed an important press conference at Insaf House Karachi. PTI leaders Faheem Khan, Jamal Siddiqui, MPA Shabbir Qureshi, Sarbuland Khan, Aftab Jahangir, Arslan Khalid, Agha Arslan, Advcate Zahoor Mehsud, Mansoor shaikh and others were present in press conference. Mr Sheikh highlighted that over the past 15 years, the Sindh government has received a budget of Rs 12,633 billion, with more than Rs 3,000 billion allocated for 2024-2025, yet there has been no development in Sindh.
The people of Sindh lack basic amenities. Sheikh stated that corruption amounting to Rs 1,650 billion has been recorded through various sources over the past 15 years, including over Rs 850 billion in development budget corruption.
He mentioned that during the current fiscal year, the Sindh government’s domestic and foreign debt has reached Rs 1,341 billion, with a 26% increase during 2023-24 and an addition of Rs 325 billion in new loans. Sheikh criticized the state of Sindh’s forests, which have been destroyed, with 2.8 million acres under encroachment, and no projects to plant trees.
While the world is saving forests, the Sindh government is cutting them down. Regarding education, Sheikh revealed that Rs 1,920 billion has been allocated over 15 years, with Rs 454 billion allocated for 2024-25. Despite this, 6 million children are out of school, with no books or uniforms, and over 12,000 schools closed. More than 26,000 schools lack drinking water, 19,000 schools have no toilets, 31,000 schools are without electricity, 21,900 schools lack boundary walls, 36,000 schools have no playgrounds, and 47,000 schools have no laboratories. He also pointed out the issue of ghost teachers and schools turned into cattle pens or guest houses. Scholarships for deserving children and free textbook distribution are marred by corruption.
Sindh’s education standards are the worst in Pakistan, with the education department embroiled in a Rs 3 billion desk scandal. He noted that from 2008 to 2024, education department projects remain incomplete, including Education City, boarding school schemes, cadet school projects, public school projects, engineering colleges, divisional level girls’ public schools, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Law College, Asifa Bhutto Institute of Electronics, Mirpurkhas and Hala medical colleges, and many more. Despite an increase in the number of teachers and the budget, educational standards have not improved. Digital libraries in 48 colleges, transport facilities in rural colleges, and the census scheme for private schools and madrasas remain incomplete. In healthcare, Sheikh pointed out that Rs 1,144b has been allocated over 15 years, with Rs 300b for 2024-2025. Yet, hospitals lack ambulances and medicines, functioning more as referral centers. There are no burn wards outside Karachi, an increase in AIDS cases, dog bite incidents without anti-rabies vaccines, and a non-functional health care commission. Q
