LAHORE: A delegation of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), led by its Chairman Mustafa Kamal, visited the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Idara Noor-e-Haq office in Karachi on Sunday to discuss ‘controversial bill on local government, bulldozed by the PPP government in Sindh and broadly opposed by all opposition parties in the province’.
According to JI media cell at Mansoora Lahore, PSP leaders Arshad Vohra, Anees Qaimkhani and others were accompanying Kamal. The delegation was welcomed by JI Karachi chief Naeemur Rehman at Idara Noor-e-Haq. Following a detailed meeting, the two sides talked to the media.
Speaking on the occasion, the JI Karachi chief Hafiz Idara Noor-e-Haq said that the two sides discussed in detail ‘the controversial bill and the situation evolved after the PPP bulldozed it in the Sindh Assembly’. He said that the two sides also exchanged views in regard to the flawed results of census, the attempts to capture local bodies’ institutions by the PPP and the issue of direct election of the city mayor.
The JI leader said that his party and the PSP shared the same viewpoint against what he called a ‘black law’ on the chapter of local government in Sindh. He added that the two sides decided to continue struggle from their respective platforms against this undemocratic move by the PPP.
He said that the bill has once against laid down foundation stone for ethnic politics in Sindh. He expressed his sorrow over the behaviour of the top minister in Sindh and said that the chief minister is the chief executive officer of the province but unfortunately he has showed a very discriminative behaviour.
He further said that the PSP and the JI have agreed that the politics of feudalism, ethnicity and discrimination will not be tolerated anymore in Karachi and other parts of the province. He added that the PSP also supported the viewpoint of the JI on an empowered city government and direct election for the city mayor.
PSP Chairman Mustafa Kamal said that his party also, not only, opposed the controversial bill but also condemned the reduction of powers and authorities of city government setup by the MQM in and the PPP in 2013.He asked the PPP ruling regime in Sindh to avoid creating Balochistan like situation in Karachi.
Kamal said that the PSP delegation visited the JI headquarters for dialogue and not for political point scoring. He further said that the bill bulldozed by the PPP was an anti-Karachi initiative and the PSP strongly opposes it.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021