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KARACHI, Feb 4: Cautioning that some internal as well as external forces were out to bring a halt to the democratic process in the country, Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ibad urged the people on Monday to exercise their right of franchise in the forthcoming elections to thwart the nefarious designs of anti-democracy forces.
He said as the country was currently passing through a critical phase, it was the duty of both the government and the people to struggle jointly to overcome the situation confronted by the country.
The governor was speaking at a largely attended ceremony held at Baba Island shortly after inaugurating a water supply scheme for three islands of the city – Baba, Bhit and Sualehabad. City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, KWSB managing director Ghulam Arif, Keamari Town Nazim Hamayun Khan, diplomats and senior KWSB officials were present at the opening ceremony.
Reiterating that the forthcoming elections would be free and fair, the governor said the election commission was being provided with necessary assistance in this regard. Besides, the government was taking all measures required for holding polls in a peaceful atmosphere.
He urged the people to wholeheartedly participate in the elections by casting their votes, otherwise the forces bent upon sabotaging the democratic process might succeed.
He said it was for the first time in the history of the country that elections were being held after the out-going assemblies had successfully completed their five-year term, and hence the democratic process must keep moving.
Amenity schemes
Talking about the water supply scheme completed at a cost of Rs331 million for providing water to the Baba, Bhit and Sualehabad islands, Dr Ibad said although it was the prime responsibility of a government to help provide all the basic amenities to the people even if they lived in a far-flung area, it was an irony that no previous government during the 60-year history of the country even thought of providing the basic necessity of life to the fishing communities living on the three islands.
Terming the provision of water supply to the islands by pipelines through the seabed ‘a gigantic task’, the governor commended efforts of the city nazim and the KWSB managing director and their teams for accomplishing the project in six months, saying that by doing so they had not only won the hearts of people residing on those islands but would also earn Allah’s blessings.
Referring to the fishermen’s problems raised at the ceremony by the Keamari Town’s nazim, he said the health, education and electricity facilities to the islands would be brought on a par with the developed areas of the metropolis. Besides, the federal government’s safe and clean drinking water project would also be launched on the islands on a priority basis.
The governor told the fishermen that as the mafia did not want the benefits to reach poor fishermen, the government would shortly introduce reforms in the fishing sector in consultation with the fishing community so that the standard of life of the community earning foreign exchange for the country was improved and the fishing industry flourished.
Development and politics
Syed Mustafa Kamal said that although the 60 years of corrupt politics of the country had taught him a lesson that no government in power ever undertake development works in the areas belonging to the opposition, it was the Haq Parast leadership that had been providing equal funds and carrying out development activities in all the 18 towns of the city though the nazims of four towns – Gadap, Bin Qasim, Lyari and Keamari -- did not belong to the group.
Recalling that shortly after he was installed as city nazim, he received a telephonic call from MQM chief Altaf Hussain who, after felicitating him on becoming nazim, directed him to serve people of all the 18 towns without any discrimination.
Thanking Allah for getting the islands’ water supplying project completed by the city’s Haq Parast leadership, he deplored that although a number of presidents, prime ministers and nazims must have visited these islands in the past, none of them ever realized that the people living on these islands were deprived of water.
He said as there was no technology available in the country for laying pipelines on the seabed for the provision of water supply to the islanders, he invited a Dubai firm, having rich experience in laying pipelines through the seabed, and it completed the task after entering into a joint venture with a local firm.
