ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday clarified his earlier controversial remark on frequent protest strikes in...
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday clarified his earlier controversial remark on frequent protest strikes in Karachi which had drawn the ire of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the largest political party in the port city.
At an event in Karachi on Friday, the prime minister had remarked that "a strike is called in Karachi even when a fly dies", and had urged Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad to reduce the number of such strikes.
The controversial comment drew sharp criticism from opposition politicians, with MQM chief Altaf Hussain demanding an apology from the premier and cautioning him to be "careful in choosing his words".
But, speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Sharif said today that he was not the one to start talk of 'flies' and that he was merely drawing the attention of the Sindh governor to a statement made by somebody else.
Somebody “said that even when a fly dies, there’s a strike here. On which I said strikes should not take place, and asked the governor if he had heard what he said. I later also talked about this in my speech. All that conversation took place in a lighter vein,” he explained.
The prime minister said he hoped his clarification had satisfied MQM leaders.
Sharif said the federal government was working on several projects with the Sindh government, and that it was not only completely funding the Green Line bus service but also several other projects related to water supply in Karachi.
He said that his government was also hopeful of soon completing the Karachi-Lahore Motorway project. “Work on the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway has already begun,” he said.
The MQM should appreciate this fact, he said, adding that the federal government would contribute 50 percent funds for development projects in Karachi.