KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has welcomed the Sindh High Court's orders to the Election Commission of Pakistan for announcement of date within 15 days for holding local government elections in Karachi.

The JI leader termed the verdict as historical while addressing a press conference.

He demanded the ECP to issue final date for the polls in accordance with the court orders. He also demanded the election commission to bind the PPP government in Sindh to take all necessary steps in order to hold local government elections as soon as possible.

He said that the ECP has already scheduled to announce the verdict on the same issue on November 22. He recalled that the JI had represented aspirations of the Karachiites at a recent hearing by the ECP over local bodies’ polls in Karachi, whereas the Pakistan People Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had opposed the polls.

He said that the MQM wants to get the polls cancelled on the basis of delimitations and flawed census. He added that it was the same MQM that had jointly notified the flawed results of the census, cutting the population of Karachi to half. He alleged that the MQM did nothing to get the issue of delimitations resolved, instead the party leadership always bargained for its own monetary and political gains.

He also lambasted the PPP government in Sindh, saying that it did nothing for the flood-affected people but was insisting to delay the local government polls in Karachi and Hyderabad in the pretext of relief and rehabilitation activities.

The JI leader recalled that it was the JI and Alkhidmat, not the government, that supported the flood affected people.

He demanded removal of ‘political’ administrator Karachi to ensure free and fair local bodies’ elections.

He also criticized the substandard road patch work in the megacity alleged that massive corruption was done in this regard.

Regarding suspending supply of gas to industries in Karachi for the next four months, he raised the question for the future of exports, economy in these those industries.

Referring to the Article 158 of the Constitution, he said that the Sindh province deserves natural gas and other natural resources more than any other province.

He also strongly condemned the PPP government in Sindh for demolishing houses of poor people without providing them alternate facilities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022