HYDERABAD: Mayor of Hyderabad Syed Tayyab Hussain earned Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar’s ire for what the latter observed was ‘too much leniency’ he was showing to Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) officers carrying out an anti-encroachment operation in the city’s lanes and streets.

While visiting various areas of the city on Sunday evening, Dr Sattar was surrounded by party workers and supporters to welcome him to the city. Those affected by the demolition drive complained to him about demolition of their houses and shops in certain localities.

Vice chairman of the union committee concerned Liaquat Khanzada, who belongs to the same party, also made the same complaint to Dr Sattar against Municipal Commissioner Shahid Ali in the presence of the mayor.

When Dr Sattar reacted angrily, the municipal commissioner responded to Mr Khanzada by asking him not to misbehave with him. Mr Ali argued that he himself had sustained bullet wounds in the 1990s for being associated with the MQM. “If you had received bullet wounds, then how much tribute have you received in lieu of it,” Dr Sattar asked Mr Ali, and turning to the mayor, remarked: “look at him [Mr Ali], how he is behaving ... as if he is a goon”.

Shahid Ali has been serving as the municipal commissioner for about a year. Before being assigned the job, he had been working in the HMC land department.

Dr Sattar advised the mayor not to be too lenient towards HMC officers as this could be disastrous for him and the MQM-P.

“For God’s sake, forgive me, Tayyab Bhai ... what are you doing? Don’t you have common sense?” he remarked when the mayor tried to speak in his defence. The mayor told the party chief that he had got the work stopped but he did not know how the demolition took place.

“When encroachments are supposed to be removed from roads, why houses in streets are being hit?” the party chief, who looked furious, remarked before leaving the area.

Dr Sattar told him to get measurement of areas verified through MQM-P parliamentarians.

Official removed

On Monday, the municipal commissioner placed the official in-charge of HMC’s anti-encroachment cell, Touheed Ahmed, under suspension “on the mayor’s verbal order issued over public complaints”. Mohsin Shaikh was given charge of the cell.

However, on the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Mautassim Abbasi, the municipal commissioner withdrew the order.

The DC spoke to Mr Ali and convinced him to withdraw the order, telling him that the anti-encroachment drive should continue.

‘Dr Sattar will be with me soon: Qaimkhani’

Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) president Anis Ahmed Qaimkhani has said that MQM-P chief Dr Farooq Sattar will soon be with him.

Speaking to reporters after hoisting the national flag at Pucca Qila Chowk late on Sunday evening, he advised Dr Sattar to better ask the Hyderabad mayor why there was no proper sanitation in the city instead of organising a public meeting in Pucca Qila.

The MQM-P is holding its public meeting in the Qila on Feb 17.

The PSP chief said that opposition parties always used to hold public meetings to keep their focus on provision of basic amenities to people. “The city should have been cleansed at least for their party chief’s visit,” he said.

In reply to a question, he said his visit to the city was already scheduled as part his party’s organisational matters and that he was not aware of Dr Sattar’s Saturday-Sunday visit.

Mr Qaimkhani said his party did not believe in confrontation. He said all parties should freely work to mobilise their respective supporters.

Claiming that the people of Hyderabad had already given their mandate to the PSP in its Dec 23, 2016 public meeting, he said its opponents would get their guarantees forfeited in the 2018 elections.

He said PSP chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal would announce the party’s future strategy on March 1.

Published in Dawn February 14th, 2017