KARACHI: Mayor Wasim Akhtar on Sunday said that if Sindh was dharti maa (motherland) of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party then entire Pakistan was dharti maa of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and it would not allow division of it.

“PPP has only four UCs [union committees] in district West. All areas that generate revenue have been included in district Keamari and this move of the PPP is aimed at getting money and political gain,” he said while performing the groundbreaking of Rs200 million development works in Orangi Town.

Federal IT and Telecom Minister Syed Aminul Haque, MQM-P leaders Shaikh Salahuddin, Hassan Naqvi, UC chairmen, elected local government representatives and people in large number were also present on the occasion.

“Neither district Chairman of West nor people were taken on board before bifurcation and creation of Keamari district. The people should be asked through referendum whether or not they want a new district,” said the mayor.

Favours creation of new provinces in country

He was of the view that new provinces should be created as the Constitution duly permitted it. “Everybody knows what the PPP had done in 1971 but we won’t let the history to be repeated. All stakeholders are taken on board in democracy,” he added.

He said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had accepted that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation could not carry out development works due to lack of power.

“We would not have been in the people, if we didn’t work for the people despite having power. The situation of Karachi might have been different had the KMC was given due powers,” he added.

The mayor said that the federal government had provided Rs1 billion through which development works were being carried out. He said that all revenue generating departments had been kept by the provincial government.

Mr Akhtar said that Karachi would be prosperous when there was an empowered local government system. “All civic departments kept by the Sindh government and police should be under the mayor,” he added.

He said that the people of the city wanted Karachi to be a metropolitan city. He said that all schemes would be completed even after their tenure.

The mayor said that four schemes were initiated with the funds provided by the federal government including road construction from Shahrah-e- Orangi to Shahrah-e-Qadhafi.

He said that before construction of the roads, sewerage lines would also be fixed and all these works would be completed within four months.

Besides, he said that encroachment would also be removed.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2020