KARACHI, May 12: Extending an olive branch to the provincial government, Karachi Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has expressed his willingness to work with anyone for the welfare of the city.

Speaking at a press conference at his office after his return from a two-week visit to the United States on Monday, he urged the federal and the provincial authorities to fully utilise the potential of Karachi for the betterment of other districts of the province.

The nazim told the newsmen that he had conveyed his views to both the prime minister and the Sindh government that the country was going through a critical point and could not afford experiments.

“But I am ready to work with all the parties and the provincial government,” he said.

He said that an alarmingly high number of hepatitis cases had been reported in the interior of Sindh due to the consumption of contaminated water. “I offer the city government’s expertise to the provincial government to resolve the water issue and other problems in other districts of the province,” he added.

The nazim, however, avoided questions pertaining to the ongoing tussle between the city and the provincial government over the administrative control of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA).

Last month, the provincial government removed Mr Kamal as the chairman and authority of the KWSB and KBCA, respectively, and instead appointed Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani as the authority of the KBCA. The Sindh government also appointed an MPA from Larkana as the vice-chairman of the KWSB.

The nazim’s visit to the USA remained the focus of the press conference. Describing his visit to the US as a highly successful one, he said that he was invited by the US State Department and he met the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Richard Boucher, US Ambassador in the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad, various congressmen, mayors and other prominent US personalities.

Giving details about the visit, Mr Kamal said that he had tried to effectively convey to the US authorities that Karachi was a city of moderate and secular-minded people who abhorred extremism and fundamentalism.

“I did not ask them for any aid or financial assistance. I informed them that we required partnership as they would also get the advantage of investing in Karachi,” he added.

Mr Kamal said that the deputy mayor of Washington DC wished to declare Karachi and Washington DC sister cities though they only give the status to the capital of any state.

The nazim informed the newsmen that during his visit he had also signed an MoU with the mayor of Houston declaring Karachi and Houston sister cities. “I have also invited the mayor of Houston to Karachi and he is expected to visit the city along a delegation to finalise the sister city agreement,” he added.

He said that a large number of US investors would visit Karachi to explore opportunities particularly in the energy, mass transit and water sectors.

The nazim said that marketing of Karachi would benefit the entire country as the development in Karachi would result in the economic uplift of Pakistan. He said that Karachi was an industrial hub and a gateway to Central Asia and the Middle East, and everyone recognised its strategic importance.

Mr Kamal said that the global recognition of Karachi was due to a better strategy and extraordinary development work being carried out by the present city government. He claimed that the Americans were very impressed with the ongoing uplift activities in Karachi.

In response to a question, Mr Kamal maintained that he needed permission from the federal government only in those cases where its sovereign guarantee was required.