KARACHI, June 18: The City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, on Saturday declared he would contest the coming local bodies’ polls, as he feared that all ongoing projects of the city government would be made unsuccessful if the present city leadership remained no more. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a web-based networking of trade license programme at Gulberg Town, developed by the city government’s IT Department.

The network would be linked to the main database at the city government Secretariat in Civic Centre to enable traders to acquire trade licenses after applying online. The service is the first on-line service of its kind in the country.

Mr Niamat inaugurated the service by issuing the first computerised licence to a multi-national export bureau.

The programme has been developed by city government’s EDO IT, Syed Mustafa Hussain, M Tariq Siddiqui, Salimullah Shah, Masood Sharif, Ahmed Abdul Qadir, Salman Omar, Asfar Abidi and Aziz Abbasi.

The nazim commended the hard work of the said officials, and said the work should have been done much before in the city.

“We are far behind from developed countries in the IT sector for want of an efficient leadership in the country. Even countries that came into being after ours have acquired these skills, and we, even today, are dwarfs before them,” the nazim said.

He maintained that no nation could progress unless and until it had an honest leadership.

Speaking of his participation in the local bodies’ polls, Mr Niamat was of the view that he had changed his earlier decision of not contesting the polls in the large interest and future of Karachi.

“I don’t want to break the continuation of leadership since many projects that have been launched have to be completed,” he added.

He said the city government had completed all 30 projects worth millions of rupees, which were launched by previous governments. “Karachi has all the potential to become a modern city of Asia; however, an honest leadership was needed to fulfil that dream.

Earlier, the EDO IT, Syed Mustafa Hussain, briefed the city nazim about the new computerised system’s working. He said trade license forms would be available online from July 1.

The city nazim was informed that on-line service for issuance of trade licences would soon start in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Korangi, Landhi and Saddar towns as well.

He was also informed that computerized databases of payrolls of city government employees and their personal information had been completed, while work on databases of the land and advertising departments was in progress.—PPI/APP