Daily Times

Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) politician Farooq Sattar and Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar exchanged heated words over the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the metropolis.

According to media reports, Sattar lambasted the Karachi mayor for initiating the anti-encroachment drive in Karachi and said that Waseem Akhtar was not voted in to ‘destroy the city’. This he said while speaking to the media after appearing in a hearing of the anti-terrorism court (ATC). Criticising the ongoing drive, the veteran politician said that daily wagers were losing their livelihood as a result of the anti-encroachment campaign.

“You (Waseem Akhtar) were made the the city’s mayor to make it flourish, not ruin it,” said the former MQM-P leader. He added that Waseem Akhtar would never be elected again because he gave the green signal to the anti-encroachment campaign which rendered thousands of citizens unemployed. He feared that the soaring unemployment as a result of this ‘destructive campaign’ would only destabilise the city and lead to a new wave of criminal activities.

Sattar appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take notice of the plight of daily wage labourers and said that schools and homes were being vacated under the ongoing drive.

Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar responded to Sattar by saying, “If he (Farooq Sattar) claims that I’ve ruined the city then he is responsible for ruining the MQM-P.” “How can I respond to his questions? First he needs to tell me which party he is a member of,” quipped the mayor. The mayor maintained that only the shops which had been rented by the Karachi Municipal Council had been demolished during the ongoing drive.

‘Farooq Sattar is no longer a part of the MQM-P,’ says Amir Khan

MQM-P leader Amir Khan announced on Saturday that veteran politician Farooq Sattar was no longer a member of the party.

Speaking to media, Amir Khan categorically announced, “Farooq Sattar is no longer a part of the MQM-P and he should stop using the party’s name and flag.” “I am not answerable for any of his statements,” he added.

“We will present the Karachi case in front of the chief justice,” maintained the MQM-P leader. Praising Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, Amir Khan said that Akhtar did a lot of work despite being underfunded. Speaking of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive initiated on the Supreme Court’s (SC) directives, Amir Khan said that the drive was conducted by the mayor because he was constitutionally responsible for implementing court orders. He maintained that the mayor only demolished encroachments on footpaths during the drive.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2018.