KARACHI: Holding the Sindh government responsible for the city’s situation following the record-breaking rains, Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Friday that FIRs of all those killed during the recent rains should be registered against Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

Commenting on the figures presented by the Sindh CM that 47 people had so far died in Karachi and over 80 died in rest of Sindh during rains, he said that the number of deaths itself shameful for a nuclear power.

He observed that the FIR of all those killed during the rains should be registered against the chief minister as it was beyond anyone’s understanding as to why the government did not take precautionary measures despite getting forecast of heavy rains.

Addressing volunteers belonging to his party participating in the rescue operation under the PSP Foundation, he said it was because of the government failure that the people had to leave their homes and moved their families to safer locations.

‘If Karachi is destroyed, Pakistan will be destroyed; this is a matter of national security’

Criticising Mr Shah, he said the fact that the Sindh CM had made himself the in charge of sewerage and cleaning of storm-water drains itself proved his “bias and prejudice” towards Karachi.

He asked why the CM was not devolving powers to the district level in line with the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

Mr Kamal said that the Pakistan Peoples Party government in Sindh had divided Karachi into seven parts for its political interests.

He said that the CM had been claiming that he had developed Karachi far better than it used to be a decade ago.

Mr Kamal, who was the mayor of Karachi a decade ago, reminded CM Shah that during his era Karachi was one of the 12 fastest growing cities in the world and now it was among the four worst liveable cities in the world.

He said the PPP was protesting against the so-called intervention by the federal government in Karachi by calling it an insult to its mandate despite the fact that the PPP had been insulting the mandate of the people of Karachi for a long time.

“Karachi is not an occupied territory...it is the economic lifeline of Pakistan. The federal government, armed forces, judiciary and the media must play their parts in rescuing Karachi from destruction. If Karachi is destroyed, Pakistan will be destroyed. This is a matter of national security,” he said, calling for an investigation to ascertain the real agenda of the rulers behind “destroying Karachi”.

He asked PSP workers to continue their relief activities in the affected areas of Karachi with the armed forces and the National Disaster Management Authority.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2020