KARACHI: The City Council on Monday expressed grave concern over the Indian atrocities targeting people of occupied Kashmir and unanimously passed a resolution condemning New Delhi and expressing solidarity with Kashmiri brethren.

The members demanded that the international community, United Nations and Muslim countries take immediate action to stop the genocide of Kashmiri people in the India-held valley.

Through the unanimously approved resolution, the council also supported the stance of the federal government and the chief of the army staff on the Kashmir situation, paying rich tributes to the prime minister and the army chief for raising the issue at international level.

Addressing the council members, parliamentary leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami Junaid Mukati said that the people in occupied Kashmir had been living without civic and municipal facilities for the past many days, besides children and infants were also being killed in the valley.

He said that there were 57 Muslim countries in the world and all of them were watching the Indian atrocities in Kashmir like silent spectators.

The council demands an inquiry into death of people from electrocution during recent rains in city

City Council member Advocate Arif Khan, belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, condemned the Indian government for besieging Kashmiri Muslims and killing them mercilessly.

He paid rich tributes to the Pakistan Army and said that people of the country were standing by the armed forces.

Electrocution deaths

The council, through another resolution, also demanded an inquiry into the electrocution of people in the city during recent rains.

The members expressed sorrow on the deaths of many citizens during recent rains due to electrocution and demanded that action be taken against those responsible for this.

Following the approval of the resolution on Kashmir situation, Leader of the Opposition in the City Council Karamullah Waqasi of the Pakistan Peoples Party rose to demand a discussion on the city’s problems.

“We want to discuss city’s problems as the members wait for the council session for long to highlight the problems in their respective areas,” he said.

MQM-P’s parliamentary party leader Aslam Afridi said that the debate on the city’s situation could be taken up after discussing the matters on the council’s agenda.

Deputy Mayor Syed Arshad Hasan, who was presiding over the session, asked the opposition leader to take his seat, telling him that he could discuss the city’s problems after the session’s agenda concluded.

Protest against mayor

However, Mr Waqasi was not given the opportunity to discuss the city’s issues as the deputy mayor adjourned the council session triggering a strong protest by the PPP members.

The opposition members chanted slogans of “shame shame” and “mayor is thief” as they started leaving the council hall.

Later, the opposition leader in the City Council told reporters that they wanted to move a resolution regarding the corruption of former KMC director Liaquat Qaimkhani.

“Mayor Wasim Akhtar deliberately did not turn up as he knew he would have to answer the questions regarding the corruption of his directors,” he added.

The opposition leader alleged that almost all KMC directors were the cronies of Mayor Akhtar. “There are over 6,000, out of around 14,000, ghost employees in the KMC and many of them have left the country,” he further alleged.

He said that there were 1,575 city wardens in the KMC and they were being paid Rs680 million annually. “Where are they posted and what is their job?” he wondered.

Among other resolutions passed by the council included the approval of provision of liquid oxygen medical gas to the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD), installation of PABX system and provision of medical oxygen gases/nitro oxide in the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, amalgamation of the vehicle department as POL section in the KMC Stores and Procurement, auction of various stalls and facilities in the Landhi-Korangi Zoo, Karachi Zoo and transformation of Kidney Hill Park into City Forest and the establishment of a park named Kashmir Bagh in the old China Ground at Kashmir Road and removal of advertising boards from city footpaths, and green belts and roads.

The house also offered fateha for late council member Waqar Ahmed Tanoli, former test cricketer Abdul Qadir, actor and director Abid Ali, actress Zaheen Tahira and former UC nazim Ramzan Singhar.

The council also paid rich tributes to Major Adeel Shahid, who was martyred along Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and other martyrs.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2019