Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan leader Dr Farooq Sattar has said his party will not need to contest general elections, should major political parties' chiefs give categorical assurance that 10 percent of total revenue collection will be allocated for development of Karachi.
Speaking at a meeting with the members of Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan at ABAD house, here, he demanded the government to give the status of industry to the construction sector for rapid development. He expressed hope that status of industry to construction sector would not only give national exposure to the ABAD but hold federal government responsible to ensure housing finance.
"If census and delimitations are conducted fairly, Karachi could have got 40 seats in National Assembly and 80 seats in Provincial Assembly," he asserted; vowing to raise voice for holding census again. He said that would help raise the strength of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and other local councils. He said if his party gained enough mandate in general elections, he would also try his best for re-legislation to strengthen Karachi's local government.
MQM-Pakistan convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said caretaker government had no powers to increase taxes and would-be MQM-P government would reserve water quota for construction sector. He said population of Karachi was 30 to 30.5 million; however, half of the population seemed to have disappeared in recent census. He said MQM-P went to Supreme Court before census because of said apprehension and requested ABAD, other ethnicities and political stakeholders to come forward and support them in this regard.
He hoped that MQM-P, despite census and delimitation issues, would get Karachi's 65 to 70 percent mandate in upcoming general elections. "Karachi witnessed mega developments only when MQM remained in power," Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan said, adding that they had supported former president Asif Ali Zardari to rename Karachi Building Control Authority as Sindh Building Control Authority but they were betrayed.
ABAD chairman Arif Yousuf Jeewa said that census was not done fairly because actual population of Karachi was estimated over 25 million. He said caretaker government had no right to impose new taxes or increase Regulatory Duties (RD). Jeewa said there were 54 Katchi Abadis in the city and ABAD was striving to convert them into modern vicinities. He requested MQM-P to support ABAD's initiative for low-cost housing scheme. A large number of ABAD members were present on the occasion.
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