KARACHI, July 27: Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of the MMA has said that the alliance has no enmity with the MQM, and if its claim about support in Karachi is valid, it should let the local bodies election be held in a free, fair and transparent manner and in a peaceful atmosphere.
Addressing the launching ceremony of a book on the performance of the previous city government, he remarked that the MQM must not use these elections for its vested interests.
He said that the development works carried out by the city government were lauded not only in Karachi and reset of Sindh, but all over the country.
A former chief justice of Pakistan Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, speaking as chief guest, said that Niamatullah Khan should be given another chance so that he could complete the uplift projects he had launched. He observed that the former nazim had served the city with honesty, devotion and fear of God.
Appreciating the development works carried out by the previous city government, he said that by constructing of roads, schools, colleges, hospitals and other projects Niamatullah Khan had changed the face of Karachi.
Niamatullah Khan had spent his first night Pakistan’s soil on footpath in 1947, but by his constant hard work, he became a prominent lawyer and then a city nazim. Underlining the need for local bodies system, he said that before the Independence, local bodies’ system had been introduced through British India Act. At that time, elections used to be held in a free and fair manner. “But in this era, results are decided before holding of polls, which is regrettable,” he remarked.
He urged the government to ensure holding of free, fair, transparent and peaceful local government elections.
He criticized provision of development funds to MNAs, MPAs and Senators and termed it ‘political bribe’, pointing out that their responsibility was doing legislation, and not carrying out development projects.
In his speech, Niamatullah Khan said that credit of all development work went to his team. “Karachi is very rich in human and financial resources, and all that is needed is to explore this potential. In new local government system, women play a vital role, and this is needed especially in Karachi.”
He recalled that the budget of Karachi before his assuming the office of city nazim was just Rs7 billion which had been raised to Rs42 billion during his tenure without imposing any new tax. “This indicates that Karachi has great economical potential,” he added.
Mr Khan said that the new devolution plan had many loopholes, despite having much merit. “A union council is the basic unit of the system and its nazim is elected directly by people, but a UC nazim is without adequate powers. So I put Rs3.4 million in the first year and Rs6.4 million in the second and third years at the disposal of every UC,” he pointed out.
The ex-city nazim said that Karachi was his benefactor which led him from footpath to the office of the city nazim. Many projects, which were initiated by him during his tenure, were still lying incomplete, he said, adding that he, therefore, decided to contest the polls so that the projects could be completed and the proposed uplift schemes could be implemented.
“I do not need launching any formal election campaign because I have carried out solid development works in the city and these development projects are my campaign,” he maintained. Election campaign was the concern of those who had done nothing for the city, he added.
He said that one of his plans was construction of an elevated road over Sharea Faisal and, if re-elected, he would execute the plan so that inconvenience experienced by people during VIPs’ movement could be minimized.
Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of MMA said that the development works carried out by Niamatullah Khan was appreciated by all in the country.
Former Vice-Chancellor of Karachi University Dr Manzooruddin Ahmed said that Naimatullah Khan was committed to the city, therefore he managed to carry out so many uplift works.—PPI