Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that those ‘crying for power’ had stuffed Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) with unnecessary staff during their tenure as Karachi’s mayor. “Today both these organisations have crippled under the burden of ballooning payroll,” he said.

The chief minister was responding to the issue raised by MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar and PSP chief Mustafa Kamal over the powers of local bodies, while speaking at an event organised at Karachi University. Both Sattar and Kamal were also among the attendees.

“Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has no track record of removing people from their jobs; otherwise both these organisations have upset their entire budget. Instead of focusing on development of the city and up-gradation of their system (KWSB), both these organisations are running from pillar to post to meet their payroll.”

The chief minister said that he was giving Rs50 million to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) every month apart from its share in the octroi and zila tax (OZT) and also his government was paying electricity bills of Karachi water board for smooth supply of water to the citizens of Karachi.

Shah said [Musharraf] had devolved the functions of provincial government to the local bodies under a conspiracy. “He wanted to make provincial government weak so that it could not challenge his authority, otherwise it was an unreasonable system which destroyed the entire structure and eroded the government authority,” Shah maintained.

Disagreeing with some people at the event, [Dr Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal], the chief minister said that growth is very much visible in the city.

“In the first phase we fought out terrorists, mafias and outlaws and restored peace in the city and now we are focusing on the development and within next few days the face of Karachi would look different and developed,” he said. We are reconstructing Tariq Road after 40 years.”

The Sindh chief minister said he constituted Provincial Finance Commission and it has started working, which would further strengthen the local government system. “I am not eroding the authority and powers of mayor or chairmen but I am trying to strengthen them by giving them administrative and financial support.”

“Almost every day, I visit the on-going development schemes in the city so that they are completed in time,” he said.

Replying to a question by a student, Shah said that the condition of graduation for a member of parliament was imposed by a dictator; “otherwise academic education has nothing to do with the politics”.

“The knowledge, experience, abilities and instincts of the person to serve the people and to protect their legitimate rights is quite enough for a person to become a member of the parliament.”

“Many parliamentarians, who were uneducated, had done a wonderful job in the provincial assembly which is still on record,” he said while lamenting that the graduate assembly [of Musharraf] had completely failed to protect the Constitution, democracy and the national interests.

The chief minister further stated that that when the primary education came under the control of district government, more than 8,000 schools were closed.

“I have recently reopened 1,461 schools and have set a target of opening 2,000 more schools by the end of March,” he said, adding that instead of instigating others for powers they should be advised to serve the people without wasting their time.