Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The opposition walked out from the meeting of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), on Monday, over the offensive behaviour of Chief Metropolitan Officer (CMO) Salman Akbar Warraich towards elected representatives.

The opposition members participated in the meeting with black ribbons on their arms to protest against the behaviour of said officer.

The situation at the 7th meeting of the MCI became tense, when the opposition leader in the first ever elected assembly of Islamabad Ali Nawaz tried to criticise the behaviour of Mr. Salman by quoting it offensive and abusive, but faced resistance from the government side.

The members of the ruling party stood up on their seats and asked the opposition leader to stop blaming others and told him to restrict his speech on agenda items only. In response, the members of opposition also retaliated and tore apart the copies of agenda.

Protesting over the resistance and continuous shouting from the government benches, the opposition leader announced a boycott of the remaining proceedings and went outside the meeting room.

They were of the view that the behaviour of the newly appointed CMO was derogatory and uncooperative while they also accused him for ignoring their points while preparing the meeting’s agenda.

Talking to the media outside the meeting venue, Mr. Ali Nawaz said: This is our house, if we will not raise our grievances here then which is the appropriate forum for this.” He said; “whenever the powerful bureaucracy challenged the powers of the mayor, we stand with Shaikh Ansar Aziz, but now when the officer belongs to the same the mayor is silent.”

In general, the opposition members were of the view that they want an effective and powerful district assembly instead of a rubber step, which is only possible through a joint effort of the opposition and the government side. They said people elect them to serve but the house had failed to deliver.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Mayors of Islamabad Syed Zeshan Naqvi and Azam Khan along with some other members of the MCI requested the protesting opposition to join the proceedings. However, after the verbal excuse and surety to resolve the problems of elected representatives without any discrimination from the CMO, the opposition again joined the proceedings and meeting resumed.

Responding on the issue, the CMO Salman Akbar Warraich told Daily Times: “I am a public servant and my doors are open for everyone, but I have to act under the set rules and regulations not on the desires of anybody.” He said further; “If anybody will come to me for a legitimate thing then I will defiantly assist him, but I cannot favour anybody beyond the prescribed limits.

The meeting was presided by over by the Deputy Mayor of Islamabad Chaudhry Rifat as the Mayor Shaikh Ansar Aziz is on foreign tour nowadays.

The elected members highlighted the issues of unavailability of staff and buildings for the offices of Union Councils in addition to the problems of water and sanitation in rural and urban areas of Islamabad.

They were informed by the CMO that most of the problems were due to shortage of funds in the MCI and same would be resolved after the availability of funds. The Deputy Mayor of Islamabad, Riffat Javed, while chairing the 7th meeting of the MCI said elected representatives were custodians of public confidence.

He said further the residents of the federal capital would be provided all facilities parallel to other capitals of the world. Service of the public is the main focus of elected representatives of the city. “A modern and model Islamabad is our objective and for this purpose we will utilise all available resources and our energies, the Deputy Mayor added.