HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) legislators from Hyderabad on Sunday criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government for “destroying Hyderabad” saying that it was reflective from the fact that one officer of the local government department was holding five different charges, relating to development, in violation of the apex court’s verdict.

Speaking at a press conference at the local press club, MNA Syed Wasim Hussain, MPA Dilawar Qureshi, Rashid Mumtaz, Saeed Aziz, Zil-e-Hasnani and Naveed Abbasi claimed that the Sindh government, after destroying rural areas, was now trying to play havoc with the urban areas of the province.

“To achieve this goal, corrupt officers are being posted while government feels complacent with everything,” said MNA Hussain. He said that the press conference was being held under compulsion to raise these issues because he had approached all relevant authorities but didn’t get any response. He said that Tando Yusuf graveyard, the largest in the city, was lying inundated but nobody was ready to drain out rainwater. He accused Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro of posting corrupt officers in Hyderabad who were busy serving ministers and government functionaries alone.

The MNA alleged that Mr Shoro had handed over multiple charges to Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) director general Masood Jumani in violation of a Supreme Court order.He said the city’s sewerage system had collapsed while main roads remained submerged under rainwater and sewage for one week. He said people were facing tremendous difficulties due to stagnant filthy water everywhere in the city.

He said that flows in irrigation channels were not being reduced with the result that rainwater was not finding its way into canals only to further aggravate the situation.

He appealed to the apex court to take notice of corruption in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2017