Coronavirus: PTI leader calls for imposition of emergency in Sindh

KARACHI: PTI Sindh opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi called for the imposition of emergency in the province on Tuesday, saying that the coronavirus situation in Sindh was alarming.

Addressing the media, the PTI leader said that the situation in Sindh is deteriorating rapidly, therefore, there was nothing wrong with imposing a governor's rule in the province.

"Sindh government claims it has spent billions of rupees on the health sector, however, they have failed to present the accurate trail of the expenditure," the PTI lawmaker maintained.

He said that the provincial government has "not yet shared a plan" on how it will revive Sindh's economy that has been affected during the extended lockdown.

Naqvi went on to add: "We will soon hold a press conference with MQM parliamentary leader Kunwar Naveed Jameel in this regard."

He alleged that the Sindh government was "violating the Constitution" and urged the federal government and the chief justice to take notice.

Referring to the adverse effects of the coronavirus on the economy, Naqvi said: "[If] meeting traders is a sin then we are responsible for committing such sins."

He said that frontline workers, including doctors and paramedics, will be sent on holidays after the pandemic is over.

Last month, Naqvi had announced that he would challenge Sindh government's COVID-19 Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020 in court.

Raising tensions between Sindh and the Centre, the leader of Opposition in the provincial assembly had said he "strongly condemned" the ordinance aimed at providing relief to people hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Wahab slams Naqvi, urges him to 'read'

Later in the day, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab prayed for God to "give Naqvi a job".

Wahab appealed to the opposition leader to read the constitution as the "imposition of the governor's rule is mentioned under Article 234 and not 235".

"He thinks of himself as Socrates by throwing around figures and numbers from all over the world," he said.

"A jobless political leader blustered about governor's rule today [...] I urge him to read the Constitution. You do not become literate by smoking pipes or wearing suspenders," Wahab said, slamming Naqvi for his factually incorrect remarks,

"I will talk to Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah about getting Naqvi a job," he said.

The spokesperson said that the opposition in Sindh was "politicking" over coronavirus and that despite having formed government in three provinces the Centre "thinks itself the opposition.