KARACHI, Nov 26: Deputy Convener and parliamentary party leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said on Sunday that the government was seriously considering ways to combat street crime in Karachi, and emphasised the need for a change in mindset and working of police stations vis-a-vis the sensitive issue.
Merely changing the SHO-level officers could not help curb street crime, he said.
Dr Farooq Sattar was addressing an election meeting in Defence Society for the party’s nominee, Capt Akhlaq Hussain, for the NA-250 by-election. He said that the MQM had successfully dealt with the rising wave of street crime through short- and long-term development plans for Karachi and Hyderabad, the cities governed by MQM at city, town and district levels.
He explained that the short term plans dealt with finding means to immediately address the problems arising out of the recent rains while long-term plans were being devised through digital and satellite images under the MQM vision for local government.
He said that from now on, roads would be built in such a manner that these could last a minimum of 30-35 years and did not crumble in rains, as had been happening so far. Mr Sattar, a former mayor of Karachi, said the MQM by all standards was now a national party. In this context, he referred to the appreciation the party had collected locally and internationally for accomplishing the enormous task of rescue and relief following the October 8 earthquake.
The MQM, he said, was engaged in a Herculean task of bringing about political, social and structural changes in the country where people would be able to solve their problems themselves instead of depending on president, prime minister and parliamentarians or other influential people.
The party will never opt for a cosmetic change because Pakistanis have been suffering for 59 years on account of ‘lip service’, according to him. Hence, he added, it had been stressing on devolution of authority from highest to the lowest level. “The real issue is empowerment and enablement of the common man as was the case in Norway, Sweden, etc. That is why the party also wants ‘jageerdari’ and ‘wadera shahi’ to end.”
Dr Sattar said that China, India and Malaysia gained independence along with Pakistan but all these countries were far ahead in progress and development whereas the Pakistani rupee still remained under pressure.
He said the second thorny issue was saving people from maulvis who were misleading them in the name of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
“If Hadith is to be followed, then let Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman come from their respective home districts to the parliament house on camel backs, because Hadith describes camel as the best of transport means.”
These maulvis and mullahs, he said, had too many masks on their faces. “They oppose women from going out of their houses and resist moves for special seats for women legislators.
However, once the seats are reserved, they send their own wives, sisters, and sisters-in-law to the male-dominated assemblies,” he observed.