Daily Times

KARACHI: A meeting of union council members called by the Karachi mayor took place on Tuesday in the absence of any representative from 51 UCs in District Central and several in Districts West and East.

The only other District Municipal Corporation under the MQM-Pakistan’s control, Korangi, was fully represented at the meeting. The meeting started with a delay as the quorum was still incomplete at the scheduled time and councilors from UCs with the Bahadurabad group had to be called to the KMC sports complex.

With 51 UCs, District Central is the biggest DMC in the metropolis. Its chairman Rehan Hashmi stayed away from the meeting since he is supporting PIB group led by Farooq Sattar. However, DMC East chairman Moeed Anwer and DMC Korangi chairamn Nayar Raza were present at the meeting.

Of all the 205 UCs in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), members from less than 100 were present at the meeting.

Addressing the house, Mayor Akhtar said, “I welcome those who have come despite pressure from another group.” He said they were government servants and the purpose to congregate was to settle the matter of new projects to be initiated from the KMC budget. “There has been a conspiracy to divide delegates. We should set aside our political differences and work together for the betterment of our city,” he said, adding that elected representatives of the local government should focus on progress and development of the city.

“We have not called a meeting in relation to the ups and down in the party. Today we need to serve Karachi, lest people would never forgive us.”

Akhtar said the people who were trying to divide the Muhajir community were requested to keep their politics away from the city council. “I am sorry to say that a person has been forbidding all chairmen joining today’s meeting. I must say that such people are the enemy of Karachi and its residents.”

Akhtar said he had several options to explore when he was in jail but he stuck to his decision to serve the people of Karachi. “If those doing politics in the city have any courage, they should refrain from creating hurdles in smooth operations of the metropolitan corporation.

“Only MQM Rabta committee can dislodge me. The responsibility of leaders to get all workers and activists on a single platform,” he said.

Speaking to Daily Times, DMC Central chairman Rehan Hashmi siad, “I was not invited in my capacity as the chairman. He said that the Bahadurabad group had itself politicised the matter. “The majority of the council members are with Dr Farooq Sattar. That is why they [Akhtar] started their meeting late because council members were not present.”

On the other hand, Sattar’s camp on Tuesday claimed that seven more MNAs had approached Sattar and expressed their support for his leadership. This takes the number of MNAs whose support has been claimed by the PIB group to 11. When one of these MNAs, Sajid Ahmed, was approached by Daily Times, he said, “we are with the right side and we hope for the best.”

Meanwhile, uncertainty prevails over the official status of MQM-Pakistan, though there were some unverified reports on Tuesday citing an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) spokesperson who maintained that the party’s registration remained under Sattar’s name.

Published in Daily Times, February 14^th 2018.