Imran Zakir
KARACHI: Leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sindh have demanded good governance from the Government of Sindh and urged the media to play its role in highlighting and resolving the issues faced by the people of Sindh.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Kashif Saeed Sheikh, Ameer of JI Sindh, highlighted the province’s vast natural resources but said the people remain deprived of basic facilities.
He stated that Sindh possesses 26 precious minerals, produces 56 percent of the country’s petroleum, and holds the 7th largest coal reserves in the world, yet poverty remains widespread in the province.
Kashif Saeed Sheikh said that despite producing around 70 percent of the country’s gas, nearly 44 percent of people in Sindh still use wood for cooking. He also pointed out that there is no motorway in Sindh, while 44 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Citing a UNICEF report, he said 0.7 million children go to sleep hungry every day, around 500,000 children suffer from stunted growth, and 40 percent of children are out of school in the province. He added that over one million students study while sitting on floors, and 90 percent of schools in Sindh lack basic facilities such as washrooms.
Commenting on the law and order situation, he said that 1,332 murders, 291 gang rapes, and 192 alleged extrajudicial killings were reported last year.
He also criticized the lack of industrial development in the province and said that the Benazir Income Support Programme was not a sustainable solution to poverty.
He further said that an annual water shortage of 18 percent has affected agricultural production and increased the risk of natural disasters.
Kashif Saeed Sheikh alleged that the government had links with drug dealers and said that local government elections were held due to the struggle of Jamaat-e-Islami.
He added that residents of Karachi continue to live in miserable conditions despite the city being the economic hub of the country
 Sindh have demanded good governance from the Government of Sindh and urged the media){kind=link}