KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Waseem Akhtar has been elected Karachi’s mayor on Wednesday.
“Let bygones be bygones,” he said while addressing the media after the elections concluded. “We have fought enough and enough blood has been spilt, we need to stop that and we want to follow the guidelines of Jinnah,” he added.
Karachi’s newly elected mayor vowed to work alongside other political parties to solve the issues facing the metropolis.
“I am not a mayor of MQM but the mayor of Karachi,” he said.
During his speech, Akhtar requested Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to help and guide him. Referring to Rangers, Akhtar reiterated his support for the on-going operation in the city and said, “There are elements who want to derail peace of Karachi.”
Akhtar – who was brought under heavy police escort to cast his vote – claimed all cases against him are politically motivated and there is no evidence against him. Karachi’s newly appointed mayor also claimed that if he brought cases pending against him to a court of law, he will be set free.
“Keep filling cases against me, I will face all of them,” said Akhtar. He requested Murad Ali Shah to provide him an office within the premises of his prison – to facilitate him in running the city’s affairs from behind bars.
Akhtar has been in prison since July 19 after the Anti-Terrorism Court dismissed his pre-arrest interim application in the terrorists’ treatment case. Based on MQM’s numerical strength — 214 members out of the total 308 elected members — Akhtar’s victory in the mayoral election was a foregone conclusion.