KARACHI: Mayor Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said the opposition's behavior during the meeting called to approve KMC's annual budget had exposed their negative mindset.

He expressed these views while addressing a press conference in his office after the budget meeting. On this occasion, Deputy Mayor Karachi Salman Abdullah Murad, Deputy Parliamentary Leader in the City Council Dil Muhammad, Jumman Darwan and others were also present.

Wahab stated that the opposition did not want serious work to be done or improvements made. He believed that if they had listened to the budget speech, they would have realized how Pakistan Peoples’ Party was solving longstanding issues, including water, in Karachi.

He suggested that the opposition seemed to be held hostage by some individuals preventing members with positive thinking from working. According to Wahab, the day the opposition acknowledged him as a successful mayor would mark the end of Jamaat-e-Islami's politics. He claimed that his party was democratic, with a lot of patience and tolerance. He contrasted this with past incidents where opposition members in the City Council were beaten up, asserting that his party had always engaged in politics focused on civic issues. Wahab noted that the Pakistan People’s Party had collaborated with the Jamaat-e-Islami mayor on many issues without adopting a negative attitude.

Wahab mentioned that before the budget meeting, he had inquired with his finance department whether any budget proposals had been received from the opposition leader or members, only to find out that none had been submitted. Similarly, no suggestions had come from the opposition to his office or elsewhere. He recounted that he had written a letter inviting the opposition leader, Saifuddin Advocate, for a meeting to discuss the budget details. He had intended for the budget meeting to take place in a constructive environment and had no objections to criticism. Wahab had asked Saifuddin to provide a list of speakers from the opposition, ensuring an equal number of speakers from both sides to allow everyone a chance to express their opinions.

However, Wahab said Saifuddin had made an excuse to avoid the meeting and subsequently held a press conference against him without providing any list or suggestions. Wahab questioned which parliamentary tradition allowed raising points of order in a budget session. He believed the opposition had missed a golden opportunity because his government had decided to give them a chance to speak, but they had come with placards intending to disrupt the budget session. Wahab asserted that his government would continue to show patience, as they did during the session.

Despite the disappointment, Wahab recalled that the last two meetings had been held in a much better environment and that they had worked together on Eid-ul-Azha. He had hoped for a good discussion with the opposition during the budget session, but it had not materialized. Nevertheless, he affirmed that they had passed the budget under the Sindh Local Government Act and would continue to work in the city.

Wahab expressed confidence that their work would speak for itself, while those who criticized would gain nothing but disgrace. He emphasized that the Mayor of Karachi did not complain about the lack of powers but aimed to serve the citizens by improving existing resources, a practice he intended to continue in the future.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024