KARACHI: Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and the Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Monday vowed to work for the betterment of the people of Sindh, particularly Karachi, and to take joint steps to provide relief to the rain-affected people.

The newly appointed Pakistan Peoples Party minister along with party’s Karachi chapter president Najm-e-Alam met the opposition leader, MQM’s parliamentary party leader Syed Sardar Ahmed and other MQM lawmakers.

During the meeting, they agreed to serve the people of the city and other parts of the province regardless of their political differences and take joint steps to provide relief to the rain-affected people in the city.

It was also agreed that all district administrators would establish working relationships with the elected members of the national and provincial assemblies and take them along in the relief work.

The MQM MPAs present on the occasion informed the minister about LG issues regarding cleanliness, water, sewerage and the condition in storm-water drains after the recent rains and complained that despite contacts with the officers concerned no attention had been paid to solve these problems.

They also expressed their reservations over the delay in appointment of administrators in Karachi and Hyderabad.

They recalled that the LG minister had played an important role in improving the situation in Sukkur when he was the elected nazim of the Sindh’s third biggest city.

The lawmakers told Mr Shah that the people of Karachi felt that he would play an important role in resolving chronic civic problems at the earliest.

Later, speaking at a joint press conference at the chamber of the opposition leader, the minister said that the MQM assured him of its full cooperation in resolving the civic problems in the province.

In reply to a question, he said that MQM friends had expressed their reservations regarding LG issues and he had assured them that all problems would be solved with mutual consultation.

He said he had also assured them that there would be no politics on the issues related to public interest.

He said that the administrator in Karachi and Hyderabad be appointed soon.

Speaking on the occasion, Khawaja Izhar, the leader of the opposition thanked the minister and Mr Alam for the meeting.

“We have informed the minister of pressing problems being faced by the people,” he said, adding that the MQM as an opposition party would fully cooperate with the government in the larger interest of Karachi and the province.

“We have no differences with the PPP except having objections on their style of the governance,” he added.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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