MQM-P’s Khawaja Izharul Hassan says committee not a solution to Karachi’s woes

MQM-Pakistan leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan said on Tuesday that the formation of a committee is not a solution to the woes of the financial hub of the country, Karachi.

On Sunday, it was reported that the federal and Sindh governments have agreed on forming a committee comprising representatives of the PPP, PTI and MQM, the city’s three main stakeholders. The committee will address the city’s civic issues.

A meeting was held in Islamabad, which was attended by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Education Minister Saeed Ghani, Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Federal Minister Asad Umar and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar. Sources said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal was also present in the meeting.

The participants reportedly discussed the problems of the city compounded by recent rains and decided on working together to resolve these issues, which are affecting the daily lives of the residents of the city.

Speaking on the matter in a press conference today, MQM-P leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan said, “Karachi’s issues can neither be solved from Islamabad nor Larkana”.

He demanded an empowered local bodies system in the light of Article 140-A to address the problems.

He said the party has decided to convene an all parties conference to discuss Karachi and matters related to the stability of the country.

Khawaja Izharul Hassan also slammed Sindh CM for “sabotaging” the discussions on the committee. The chief minister in a press conference on Monday had said that he would not share the powers with anyone.

Shah said that idea of a committee was discussed but there was no formal agreement.

The MQM-P leader said that the Sindh government has divided the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation into many parts. “You have established the Karachi Development Authority and Sindh Building Control Authority. No development took place in the city.”

“The youth of Larkana cannot blame the MQM. Whenever PPP is held accountable it misguides the youth,” he said in response to the criticism on his party.

Speaking regarding the idea of the committee on civic issues, the MQM-P leader said his party acted as a bridge between the traders’ fraternity and the government.

Karachi committee

The provincial government spokesperson, Murtaza Wahab, had claimed the committee would comprise PTI federal ministers Asad Umar and Ali Zaidi, Federal IT and Telecom Minister Aminul Haque of the MQM besides Sindh chief minister and provincial ministers Nasir Hussain Shah and Saeed Ghani. “The committee will see that development work is carried out smoothly in the city and remove obstacles in this regard."

The minister said that the Sindh government was always willing to work with others for improvement in the province, saying that problems could be resolved if both the governments worked together.

Later, in a video message, Nasir Hussain Shah welcomed the approach of the three parties to work together, boasting that Sindh, including Karachi, had made record progress under the leadership of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Nasir said the PPP Chairman Bilawal had inaugurated development projects worth "billions of rupees, not seen in any other province of the country."

He claimed the PPP government will welcome any individual or party willing to work for Karachi's progress and said the Sindh government had welcomed the federal government and the NDMA’s initiative when it came to cleaning the city’s drains.