KARACHI: Senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s point man Jahangir Tareen said on Tuesday that civic issues in Karachi could not be solved without an empowered local government system and his party would soon introduce a new LG system in Sindh.

He said this while talking to reporters after meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leadership at the latter’s temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad.

Mr Tareen led a PTI delegation that visited the MQM-P’s headquarters to discuss what the two sides called progress on a nine-point memorandum of understanding signed by the two parties before becoming each other’s coalition partner in the federal government in August last year.

MQM-P spokesperson MNA Aminul Haque told Dawn that it was a follow-up to the meeting between his party and the prime minister before the passage of the federal budget in June. “We will meet again with our PTI friends in Islamabad on July 31,” he said.

He said that the two sides, however, discussed with concern “rampant corruption” in Sindh and agreed that the ongoing accountability process should go on for all.

When asked as to how Mr Tareen promised a new LG system for Sindh when his party lacked majority in the Sindh Assembly, which is the only forum for legislation in this regard, he replied: “All I can say is this [provincial] government will not exist when the time comes for the next local government elections.”

‘New amendment needed’

Accompanied by Mr Tareen and other PTI leaders, MQM-P convener and Federal Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told reporters that his party had informed the PTI delegation of the issues regarding implementation on the MoU and gave them their proposals.

He hoped that the PTI government would play its role in the solution of the issues of the people of urban and rural areas of Sindh, where the government of Pakistan Peoples Party “broke all records of corruption”.

He said that the objective of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was to devolve powers to the provinces so that they could further be devolved to the lowest tier of government. However, the PPP government instead of devolving powers snatched the functions of the local government, he added.

“We believe that a new amendment in the Constitution is needed so that everyone can get equal resources and powers,” he said.

Mr Tareen said on the occasion that the “destruction” caused by the PPP could be seen everywhere in Sindh.

He said that as per the commitment of PM Imran Khan there would be no “deal” with corrupt elements.

He said that the PTI would soon bring a new LG system in Sindh since without an empowered system the situation could not be improved.

The PTI delegation comprised of Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Khurrum Sher Zaman and others. The MQM-P was represented by Nasreen Jalil, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, Mr Haque and others.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2019