KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq on Friday called for restoration of Karachi which, he said, had equally been ruined by the interest-based and flawed policies of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

“People across Sindh, including Karachi, are hopeless of the ruling regimes in the province and at the Centre,” he said while addressing a press conference at the party’s Idara Noor-i-Haq headquarters along with JI city chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman.

“The PPP, MQM and PTI have ruined Karachi and unfortunately the city has lost its leadership,” he said.

Holds PPP, MQM, PTI equally responsible for city’s destruction

“Each and every individual in Karachi wants the city to be saved. So we [the JI-Karachi] have launched ‘Save Karachi Movement’ after the PPP government in Sindh had bulldozed the local government bill. But we firmly believe that with the support of people, our movement and agitation by the masses will compel the rulers to withdraw the controversial bill,” he said.

Sit-in outside PA on Friday

He said the masses would be demonstrating a strong protest against the controversial bill outside the Sindh Assembly building on Dec 31.

All the three parties, he said, had enjoyed the ‘politics of interests’ in the city.

“The PPP doesn’t deliver anywhere in the province,” said the JI chief. “The PTI has also announced packages worth more than Rs1,100 billion for Karachi, but nothing has changed on the ground. The outgoing year proved to be the year of inflation for the people of Karachi.”

He said the MQM on the other hand in 2013 had gifted 15 local government departments to the provincial government of the PPP while in 2021 the same party has snatched 14 more departments of the government.

Speaking on the occasion, Hafiz Naeem said the incompetence of the PPP government had made Karachi a least liveable city.

“The city, which had been the centre of hope for millions of people across the country, offering them shelter and employment, has now made like hell for its own people,” he said.

“The PPP is playing the politics of hatred and ethnicity in Karachi,” he said. “The people of this city have already suffered a lot due to such mindset, but now they will not allow anyone for another such experience just for the vested interests and political gains of a particular party.”

Earlier on Wednesday night, Sirajul Haq had attended the 75th foundation day ceremony of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) at the University of Karachi.

Addressing the ceremony attended by a large number of student workers, he congratulated the IJT for maintaining its tradition and lauded its role in creating political and social awareness among the youngsters of the country.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021