KARACHI: Nazim resents MQM being described as terrorist party
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 22: City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has said that, besides other ethnic communities, Pakhtuns are also enjoying economic benefits in Karachi, and 80 per cent of all contractors working for the city government are Pakhtun.
Reacting strongly to a statement made by Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali in which he called the Muttahida Qaumi Movement a gang of terrorists, the nazim said that the city government belonged to the MQM as the people of the metropolis had voted in favour of Altaf Hussain-backed candidates.
“Asfandyar Wali insulted the people of Karachi by terming the MQM a group of terrorists. It is an insult to the mandate we have,” he told a news conference here on Tuesday.
He warned that labelling the MQM a group of terrorists was tantamount to destroying the peace in Karachi.
He said that the present city government, acting on the philosophy of Mr Hussain, was serving the people of the city without any discrimination.
“When Dr Farooq Sattar was mayor of Karachi and in my tenure, we have given ownership rights to 55 katchi abadis where not a single person of the Urdu-speaking community was living,” the nazim claimed.
Mr Kamal said that the city government was spending Rs17 billion on several water and sewerage related schemes and it carried out work in Banaras, Landhi, Quaidabad and other areas from where the MQM-backed Haq Parast group did not get many votes in the local government election.
“If we are terrorists, then why are we working in the areas dominated by other ethnic communities? Why are we giving ownership rights to residents of katchi abadis?” he questioned.
He said that leaders from outside the province wanted to exploit the situation by pitting people of the metropolis against one another. “Some Pakhtun leaders were hatching a conspiracy in the name of Pakhtuns living in the city.”
He requested all political parties to refrain from making those statements which might hurt the feelings of the people of Karachi.
Answering a question, he said that the city government would soon give compensation to the victims of the May 12 violence.
“Four months ago, the city government gave compensation to transporters for those vehicles which were torched in 1986 and 1988,” the nazim claimed.
