KARACHI: Amid boycott of proceedings by lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday told the Sindh Assembly that the provincial government was working with the army, intelligence agencies and the police to start a major clean-up operation against dacoits in riverine areas of the province.

The chief minister also expressed his displeasure over what he described as `interference` in domains of executive and legislature by judiciary.

As Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani allowed the chief minister to conclude the pre-budget debate, PTPs parliamentary party leader Khurram Sher Zaman rose andsought the chair`s permission to speak on a point of order. As the chair denied him permission, PTI members immediately walked out from the house.

Concluding the pre-budget discussion, the chief minister said that he had spoken with the chief ministers of Balochistan and Punjab to hold a meeting to chalk out a strategy to launch a vigorous cleanup operation. `Preparations to launch a massive operation against dacoits are in full swing,` he added.

Referring to the growing cases of kidnapping for ransom by dacoits in the riverine area, better known as katcha area, the chief minister said katcha area started from the sea up to areas in Kashmore.

`The most affected area at the triborder of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab stretched around 60 miles, he said, adding that the plan hadbeen chalked out to resolve the issue for once and all.

He said that the dacoits had a tough time when an efficient police officer was posted in the affected area. `The provincial government will engage efficient police officers in the operation against the dacoits,` he added.

Interference of judiciary Talking about the introduction of the pre-budget discussion in the assembly rules, the CM said its purpose was to incorporate proposals of assembly members.

He said judiciary was `interfering` in executive and legislature`s domains.

The country would progress and flourish when the three pillars of state legislature, executive, and judiciary-wouldworkin their con-stitutional domain, he added.

`The interference in each other`s domain has affected the genuine uplift of the country,` he added.

Mr Shah recalled that the provincial assembly, through legislation, had changed the name of Gambat Institute to Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jilani1nstitute of Medical Sciences but a court undid it. `I have directed my legal team to prepare an appeal,` he said and claimed that courts could not undo legislation.

He added that the late Pir had served this province five times as MNA and as a federal minister.

`Dedication of an institution to his name [Pir Abdul Qadir Shah] is a recognition of his services and it was done by the assembly, therefore it could not be changed,` he said.

Mr Shah said he had directed all his departments to prepare a list of such decisions which were acts ofinterference in the domain of legislature so that appeals could be filed.

The CM claimed that the judges were summoning the chief secretaries, IGPs, and other officers and threatening them to implement their orders, otherwise they would summon their chief ministers. `This is not a way, but an interference in the matters of the executive,` he said.

CM Shah also came down heavily on PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan. `Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had said that he was ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of this country and went on saying that he would not hesitate to sacrifice his children which he did, the CM said.

He added that, on the other hand, the leader of a `fascist` party was making his innocent workers as a human shield to protect himselffrom arrest.

`I am thankful to some assembly members that they have given some good proposals and raised issues of their respective constituencies,` he said and added he would present a resolution to adopt their recommendations in the budget. `During the last eight months, up to Feb 2023, we have spent only Rs80 billion against an allocated budget of Rs148 billion operative expenditures budget.

Mr Shah said that he was trying to make maximum development, but initiatives had been affected by the restructuring of the infrastructure damaged by floods.

The CM presented a resolution to consider the pre-budget recommendation given by opposition members in the pre-budget session. The resolution was passed unanimously.

Later, the session was prorogued.