KARACHI, July 20: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan on Sunday accused the provincial minister for local government of interfering in the affairs of the city government.

Speaking to town and union council nazims at Hub dam, he said, “It is often said that the city government comes under the provincial government, which I do admit it. But, the provincial ministers’ trend of threatening the city government officials and pressurising them to send cars and photographers will not be tolerated as there is no such provisions in the Sindh Local Government Ordinance-2001, whereby the devolution plan came into being.”

“If a minister requires cars, he may get the same from the Sindh government,” he remarked.

Referring to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s ongoing cleanliness campaign in Landhi and Korangi, he said that he would love to support similar campaigns if such ventures were undertaken in the interest of Karachiites and not under party flag. “I will not even allow Jamaat-i-Islami to carry out such campaigns under its party flag,” he declared.

“Though under the SLGO the city’s development and sanitation works are the responsibilities of the city government and towns, the MQM may launch cleanliness campaigns but with its own funds or donations, instead of intimidating town nazims. As I am the administrative head of the city government under the SLGO, the local government minister should contact me, if he requires any assistance from the towns or the city government, instead of approaching town nazims and the city government officials directly,” he remarked.

He condemned the life threats being hurled at him by the activists of the said party, saying that life and death are not in the hands of any human being. He said that nobody can deter him to work for the welfare of the city by such dastardly acts.

He said that if the local government minister thought the city government was not undertaking development works, he should hold a referendum to elicit public opinion in this regard.