KARACHI: UC Nazim brought from jail to attend council session
KARACHI, April 29: The Nazim of UC-7 (Gulberg Town), Faizanullah, on Tuesday became the first member of any local government having been granted permission to attend the session on parole.
As soon as the police van carrying Faizanullah entered the Naib Nazim Secretariat (old KMC) building, members of the City Council started raising slogans and making victory signs. They accorded him a warm welcome to the House. He was garlanded by a number of his colleagues in the council.
A UC Nazim, Shafi Noori, recited Naat and another UC Nazim, Abid Ilyas, lifted Faizanullah on his shoulders before the procession proceeded to the council hall.
Qazi Sadruddin, who represented the council in the process of obtaining court permission and getting the orders of release on parole executed by the Home Department, accompanied Faizanullah right from the Landhi Jail to the City Council hall. Faizanullah’s two sons, Azib (14) and Saim (11), who were present at the hall, also garlanded their father.
Muslim Pervaiz, presiding officer of the City Council, lauded the collective efforts by the members in bringing a colleague to the House on parole.
Siddique Rathore and Saeed Ghani, who delivered opening speeches when the House started the day’s deliberations, said that Faizanullah’s presence in the council today was a big victory of the House and result of the unity and solidarity demonstrated by all the groups and members over the last five months to persuade the provincial government for his release on parole.
They repeated their call for an independent inquiry into Faizanullah’s case.
Saeed Ghani, acknowledging the hunger strike by a member, Razzaq Siddique, on Tuesday against the delay in granting permission to the interned member, said that the council would extend similar support to any innocent person falling prey to the faulty system.
Women members, Shenaz Akhter, Mangla Sharma, Rehana Afroze, Shamim Mumtaz Wasi, and others stressed the need for the same zeal, enthusiasm and unity on all the issues faced by the city.
Expressing his gratitude, Faizanullah said: “All of us are victims of the faulty system.” He urged his colleagues to extend their support to the families of deceased Salman and Masood, the MQM activists killed by terrorists in front of his office and whose killing led to his arrest on suspicion.
He said that he was falsely implicated in this case and expressed his confidence that he would emerge innocent.
He called upon the council members to concentrate on formulating policies and bringing about an improvement in the system through realistic and practical approach in adopting resolutions.
Muslim Pervaiz told the House that efforts were being made to seek permission for Faizanullah to attend all the council sessions regularly.—PPI
