KHAIRUR: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Tuesday criticised the federal government for resisting Sindh government`s move to replace the inspector general of police, arguing that the Punjab government changed as many as six IGs and the federal government always acceded to its recommendations.

He said the Sindh government recommended several names for the top police post to replace IG Dr Kaleem Imam in accordance with the prescribed procedures but the federal government was resisting the move.

He was speaking to the mediaafter offering his condolence to MNA Nawab Khan Wassan on the demise of his mother here on Tuesday.

Mr Khuhro also reacted angrily to a certain senior police officer`s conduct, saying that they were not supposed to level wild allegations against ministers and other political figures. He was referring to a leaked report submitted by the Shikarpur SSP to his high-ups that accused Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Sheikh and some of his family members of patronising a criminal gang and subjecting political opponents to vendetta.

`The SSP should have talked about such things at some open forum when was he posted in Karachi and Shikarpur; no one should declare anyone guiltywithout having such an authority; an no one should resort to such conduct on the direction of someone else,` the senior PPP leader said.

Disapproving Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government`s policies, he said that under Prime Minister Imran Khan, the federal government was not ready to give autonomy to federating units as enshrined in the Constitution. `It [PTI government] does not have good intentions, that`s why Prime Minister Imran Khan does not accept provincial autonomy be giveninitstruespirit,`heclaimed.

In this regard, Mr Khuhro questioned food security, Employees` Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), education and other subjects still remaining under fed-er al control.

Attributing wheat and gas crises across the country to PTIgovernment`s incompetence and its ill-advised policies, he said around four million tonnes of wheat was available in Punjab and 1.2 million tonnes in Sindh at the moment but despite this a shortage occurredin thecountry,including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All this was because of the federal government`s inef ficiency, he said.

Mr Khuhro said Sindh remained stronger in food production compared to other provinces as the provincial government encouraged agriculturists, growers and peasants by providing subsidy on wheat, rice, cotton and other crops. `The farming com-munity braved all odds be it rains and floods, locusts` invasion or water shortage,` he noted, and recalled that the federal government did not help the Sindh government even when it asked for a few helicopters for aerial spray during locusts` attack.

In reply to a question, he said that when the federal government claimed having US$16 billion in the national exchequer, then why it was applying cuts in the provinces` development funds.

Answering a question about Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)`s differences with the PTI, Mr Khuhro said it was beyond anyone`s comprehension that MQM-P surrendered its federal ministry in protest but remained with the federal government.