KARACHI : Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that neither the federal government nor the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approached him with regard to concerns over the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award or the 18th Amendment. CM Shah mentioned that the federal government has started implementing the 18th constitutional amendment by devolving or winding up some of its ministries. The chief minister spoke to the media after attending the launch of the World Bank’s latest editions of the South Asia Development Update (Sadu) and Pakistan Development Update (PDU) for October 2024 at a local hotel. He stated that his administration has reservations about some other matters, and he is in discussions with the federal government. He added that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would only support measures that are in the interest of the country. In response to a question, CM said that he learnt from media reports that the federal government has terminated power purchase contracts with five independent power producers (IPPs), which is expected to reduce electricity tariffs.
The chief minister suggested that the government should take steps to utilise surplus electricity. He proposed that industrial units could be offered electricity at subsidised rates if they increased their production capacity by starting additional night shifts.
“This would help offset the capacity charges paid to the IPPs by the federal government, improve production, and create job opportunities for unemployed workers,” he said.