KARACHI, May 15: Former Sindh Assembly Speaker Hussain Haroon held the government responsible for last Saturday’s carnage which not only had damaged the country’s image in the international community but pushed the city to the brink of disaster.
Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, he pointed out that the events of May 12 had caused a gloomy shadow over Karachi and citizens were scared of the future of their children.
He said, “We have become a city of lawlessness where even the chief justice of Pakistan cannot enter.”
Saying that the time had come for every patriot to play his role to save Karachi, he said on Sunday the whole nation rose against the Sindh government to express its disgust and anger. People condemned ethnic divide of the city, he said adding that history reminds us of similar incidents that took place in 1986.
He lamented that the government appeared more concerned about progress of the city rather than the life of human beings.
Demanding the government to punish the culprits and extend apologies to the chief justice of the Sindh High Court for its gross negligence resulting in blocking golden jubilee celebrations of the SHC Bar Association, to the media for the attacks on journalists and to the people of Pakistan, he called for adequate measures to protect the lives and property of the common man and compensation to the affected families.
He also referred to the session of the Karachi City District Council in which opposition members were beaten up by the ruling party and they had to resign from committees because of fear of their lives.
The former speaker said Karachi was suffering under severe water and electricity riots. He said roads were dug up everywhere, half a million people were unemployed and the per capita hospital bed rate in Karachi was amongst the lowest in the world.
Suggesting the City Nazim to bring back Octroi tax to the city, take back the KESC, resume activities at sea port and airport, make long-term plan for water supply and sewerage disposal, stop allotments and exploitation of amenity plots, consolidate civic agencies and properly develop the master plan of the city to rebuild Karachi, he recalled that even the federation had made noise about how Karachi was suffering. He said their concern would be voiced genuine if they did not stop selling lands for peanuts.
