PPP, MQM-Pakistan trade barbs over Karachi cleanliness campaign

KARACHI: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has criticized Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar over what the PPP officials said his 'failure' during the 100-day cleanliness campaign.

"Karachi mayor is lying and trying to mislead Karachiites," said PPP leader Senator Saeed Ghani at a press conference on Sunday.

He further said that garbage collection was not the responsibility of Karachi Municipal Corporation. He said District Municipal Corporation is responsible to do so.

He said the real issue is not lack of extra powers but he has failed to shoulder responsibilities despite having needed mayoral powers.

"His party Muttahida Qaumi Movement recruited thousands of people in the KMC who work for MQM and get salaries from government," Saeed Ghani said, adding that Sindh government was avoiding action against them that could otherwise leave thousands of employees jobless. He said that KMC dont have adequate funds to pay them salaries.

He also accused the MQM of being involved in massive land-grabbing. He said even the land alongside sewerage drains in were also sold by the MQM in Karachi. He said that MQM was trying to deflect public attention from its failure by blaming the PPP for its own failure.

Waseem Akhtar on Friday said that garbage collection was responsibility of the Sindh government because the chief minister got more budget allocations. He claimed his cleanliness drive was a success because of limited resources. He complained of non-cooperation from the chief minister. --PR