KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has demanded that the Karachi mayor be elected on the basis of direct election for his empowerment.

He made this demand in view of the poor situation of Karachi, which he said had been turned into a big garbage dump only because of a powerless local government.

Currently, the mayor of any city is elected by the members of that particular council, and not directly by the people.

Mr Khan spent a busy day in Karachi on Saturday. He visited the jirga being held off the Superhighway near Sohrab Goth against the extrajudicial killing of Naqeeb Ullah Mehsud; met the parents of Intizar Ahmed, another victim of alleged highhandedness of police, had a breakfast meeting with young entrepreneurs; spoke at meetings of party office-bearers, a marketing function and women chamber of commerce.

Says police in Sindh, Punjab destroyed because of political interventions

At one of the events, he recalled the good old days of Karachi, where like him, affluent people of Dubai used to come for vacation. “If Karachi had not been devastated, it could have become another Dubai.”

He said that pollution in Karachi had become another threat for new generation and the PTI had chalked out a plan to rid the city of pollution by planting one million trees next month.

‘Killers in uniform’

Speaking at the jirga in Sohrab Goth, Mr Khan said that his party was striving against the system which resulted in the killing of youngsters like Naqeeb. “Our fight is against the killers in uniform like Rao Anwar, who enjoyed backing of those politicians who used them for crimes and murders.”

He said the police of Sindh and Punjab provinces were destroyed by political interventions and the people of the two provinces did not trust them. “When politician use police for murders, the police make money by joining land grabbers.”

He proudly said that the police law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa did not have any provision pertaining to political interference. “We want to make the Sindh police non-political. We want that no father should suffer from the pain Naqeeb Mehsud’s father had endured.”

Against the backdrop of a recent police report that said that former Malir SSP Rao Anwar killed over 440 suspects in alleged police encounter, Mr Khan called for the investigation into what he termed “extrajudicial killings”.

“Killers like Rao Anwar have to be brought to justice,” he added.

Youth’s role important in country’s progress

Talking to young industrialists, he said youths could play an important role in the progress of the country as better investment, business and employment opportunities was their right.

“You are the future of this country and participating in the development of the country. There is a need to give importance to our talented youths at every level and provide them employment opportunities. We want our youth to be empowered,” he said.

Speaking at a party meeting held at the residence of MNA Dr Arif Alvi, Mr Khan asked his workers to take the party membership drive seriously because it was the matter of the future of the country.

He said only PTI members could lead the country in the coming days.

He said at least 10,000 new members in every district should be enrolled. “We could offer membership without any fee but we have fixed a nominal fee of Rs50 for new members to manifest their determination and involvement with the party.”

Addressing the women chambers of commerce, the PTI chief said that the women had a big role in the country’s development.

He said empowering women was an important step towards making a successful society. He said that the PTI had a clear policy to bring women forward.

Mr Khan said that women protection laws in the country were not being implemented.

He said that his party wanted to eliminate compulsion and repression of man over women as today’s women were quite conscious of their rights because education had empowered them. “Pakistan is proud of its women.”

He said the PTI was taking measures to empower women. “We want to make Pakistan a welfare state like that of Medina, where crippled and poverty-ridden people would be brought forward. We would make all these issues part of our election manifesto.”

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2018