Staff Reporter
Karachi
The three major political parties of the metropolis, the PPP, the PTI and the MQM-P, met on Sunday to discuss the city’s issues in two separate meetings in Karachi and Islamabad. It was decided that the provincial government and Centre will join hands to address the issues.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, as well as provincial ministers Saeed Ghani and Nasir Shah, represented the government of Sindh. Governor Imran Ismail, federal ministers Asad Umar and Ali Haider Zaidi, as well as Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar were in attendance as well.
According to a media, it was decided that advisory and liaison committees must be formed to solve the metropolis’ problems.
Discussions revolved around the NDMA’s role in the development of Karachi. It was decided that members of the Centre and government of Sindh would form an advisory committee to resolve the southern port city’s issues.
In a video statement following the meeting, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that National Disaster Management Authority Chairperson Lt-Gen Muhammad Afzal was in the meeting as well.
He said the meeting, which was held for the betterment of the province, focused on resolving issues related to development work. The Sindh government is working for the betterment of Karachi and the entire province, the information minister added.
Shah welcomed the meeting between members of the PTI, PPP, and the MQM-P as a step in the right direction for the betterment of Karachiites. The collaboration between the three parties “will prove to be an important milestone”, he said.
He added that Sindh, especially Karachi, was developed tremendously under the leadership of PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “The Sindh government will welcome every person or political party that wants to play a part in developing Karachi,” he said.
Referring to the recent monsoon spell that wreaked havoc in the metropolis, the provincial minister said the government of Sindh had welcomed the Centre and the NDMA in its efforts to clear Karachi’s nullahs. “Steps taken by the Sindh chief minister for Karachi cannot be forgotten,” he added.
Following the meeting, MQM-P’s Aamir Khan said Karachi’s problems could not be resolved without giving full authority to its locals. “The problem of Karachi cannot be solved until the local people have full authority,” he said on Twitter. “This will only be possible when new provinces are established across the country including Karachi,” Khan added.PPP leader Raza Rabbani said Sunday, Karachi was a part of Sindh and would continue to remain so. The PTI had previously issued a statement as well on separating the city from the province, he noted.
Speaking at a press conference after the party’s Central Executive Committee meeting, the former Senate chairperson said such statements from the PTI leadership were not new.
“Ever since the PPP government has been formed [in Sindh] and the PTI came to power, such statements have been issued,” he said, adding that the PTI has previously issued statements as well on imposing governor rule in Sindh. “There is nothing new about this,” he stressed.
Without naming anyone in particular, Rabbani underlined how “some people want to place Karachi under the Centre and seize its revenue”.
Criticising NAB, the PPP leader said the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Khawaja brothers’ case had exposed the anti-graft body. The Human Rights Watch had also exposed the NAB, he noted. Clarifying that the party had not changed its stance on the 18th Amendment, Rabbani said the party would “not compromise” on it. Sindh government spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab confirmed the formation of a committee comprising members of the PPP, PTI and the MQM-P to resolve Karachi’s issues.
The committee will remove obstacles hindering development work, said Wahab, adding that the PPP-led Sindh government was always willing to work together for the betterment of the province. If the governments work together problems can be resolved, he said.
He said this committee will help accelerate construction work on uplift schemes and ensure their completion on time besides removing hurdles in execution of development schemes in the province.
Meanwhile, The Sindh government on Sunday denied the formation of any committee comprising representatives of Centre and provincial government to resolve Karachi issues,
In a statement, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that they were working together with the federal institutions for resolving Karachi issues. However, he denied any sort of alliance between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). “We discussed issues of Karachi during a meeting with federal minister Asad Umar,” he said and rejected the formation of any core committee to carry out development works in Karachi.
