KARACHI, June 5: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan on Saturday said the army has been called in to ensure peace during the June 7 local bodies by-polls, while politicians, federal and provincial ministers and senators will not be allowed to enter concerned UCs on the day of the polling.

Talking to newsmen in Karachi, he said the army would take-over sensitive places in the city where by-polls were to be held on Saturday night to ensure holding of by-elections in a peaceful and transparent manner.

He maintained that though provincial and federal ministers, senators and politicians were not allowed to enter polling stations in the May 12 by-polls in Karachi, it had been decided this time to disallow them from entering UCs where by-polls were to be held.

Regretting the loss of human lives and property in the recent incidents of terrorism and violence in Karachi, he said that efforts of CDGK during the last three years for improving the city's infrastructure were badly affected in the violent activities.

"We are trying to bring foreign investment in Karachi but through a conspiracy, the development of Karachi is being sabotaged. A Malaysian delegation was due to meet me on the day when Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai was martyred, and they refused to have a meeting with me," he informed.

According to him, the next day he went to their hotel to convince them for investing in Karachi, but a bomb blast occurred at Imambargah Ali Raza and they refused to invest.

He said citizens had the right to protest but those behind ransacking public and private property, arson and hooliganism were not sincere with anybody. "It is a conspiracy to destabilise Karachi and people should remain peaceful despite instigation of protests," he added.

"Despite the recent acts of violence and terrorism, I have not lost hope and I will continue my struggle for convincing local and foreign investors to come to Karachi and invest in development schemes," he said, appealing to Karachiites to help him in making Karachi a developed city of the world.-PPI