HYDERABAD: Senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders Amir Khan and Aminul Haq have demanded that local bodies’ elections should be held after clearing their party’s reservations on provisional results of the census and after carrying out fresh delimitations in Karachi.

Speaking to journalists at a medical camp set up by the party activists for the participants of Ashura processions on Station Road on Sunday, they said the problems of Karachi could not be resolved even after it was placed under federal control; only devolution of power to the local level would resolve the issues.

They said the MQM-P had already taken the two issues to court as the union committees (UCs) were not delimited on parity basis in Sindh. An MQM-P technical committee would meet Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) officials this week on the issue of census 2017, they informed.

They said that after the disastrous spell of rains in all big urban centres, the federal government should announce compensation for the damages caused to people.

Amir Khan said the MQM-P had moved the Sindh High Court on the question of delimitations whereas the apex court was seized of the census petition of the party. “Unless the census results are finalised, delimitations cannot be held and if fresh delimitations are not notified, LG polls can’t be held,” he said.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had never been interested in LB polls, therefore it gave many excuses, he said.

Federal Minister Aminul Haq said that the federal government had appointed a five-member committee, comprising himself, Zubaida Jalal, Dr Fehmida Mirza and Ali Zaidi regarding the census, but no progress was seen on the issue so far. The MQM-P had raised objections over the census figures and it was decided that the technical committee of the party would meet the PBS officials to share its reservations.

He claimed that even the court agreed with MQM-P’s viewpoint that the question of census should be addressed first. He expressed the hope that the census issues would be resolved within four to six weeks and then delimitations would be carried out for the LB polls.

Amir Khan said the MQM-P wanted LB polls after clearing of its reservations. There were UCs in Karachi with 70,000 population while some were created on 10,000 in other districts. “It is a disparity. UCs should be defined on equal basis which will increase seats,” he said.

Regarding powers in the LB system, he said the MQM-P had been clamouring about it for a long time. Quitting councils by the MQM-P on the ground of powerlessness would not solve things; it would aggravate the situation rather.

He said it was because of a hue and cry raised by the MQM-P that today everyone was discussing the problems faced by Sindh’s urban centres. Today all parties and the federal government were realising that if that issue was not handled, it would create problems for the entire country.

He said the Karachi mayor controlled only 36pc of the city while the remaining area fell in the remit of six cantonment boards. Then there were the Karachi Port Trust, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).

He said the MQM-P had been crying hoarse against poor infrastructure of urban centres as even the federal government did not give attention to it in four years.

The LB system demanded regular investment which had eluded the major urban centres so far. If the Sindh government wanted smooth working of the LBs, it would have to devolve powers and release funds to local governments. He said that Karachi’s problem could not be resolved even after handing it over to the federal government.

“We have seen imposition of governor rule. Today we are knocking at the doors of the Sindh government and tomorrow we will be approaching Islamabad if Karachi is handed over to it. We believe that power should be devolved to local levels where people will take care of it on their own, be it Karachi, Sukkur or Larkana,” he said.

He said that no consultation was made with the MQM-P about the appointment of administrators although different names were in circulation. The government should have consulted the party democratically, politically and morally as the MQM-P had mandate of local councils.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2020