Daily Times

The Sindh government is considering to bring consensus administrator for the metropolis after Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar’s tenure ends.

Earlier, a top-level meeting chaired by Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari decided that the next administrators in Karachi will be the natives of the city and could be from civil society. The new administrators will be appointed after the completion of the terms of the Karachi mayor and the DMC chairmen. The meeting recommended that it was not necessary that the city administrators, who would head the municipal agencies, should belong to the provincial bureaucracy as they could also be members of the civil society.

According to sources a plan has been devised to bring a unanimous administrator after the term of the mayor of Karachi ends. Now seven personalities are under consideration belonging to civil society and bureaucracy for the administrator of Karachi.

The four names from the civil society renowned architects Dr. Noman Ahmed, Yasmeen Lari, Economist Asad Saeed, Faisal Edhi, two bureaucrats Najam Ahmed Shah, Syed Hassan Naqvi and former Senator Taj Haider are also in this consideration list.

Moreover the party leaders demanded that intellectual and famous personalities with good reputation in civic affairs may be appointed as mayor, DMC’s chairmen till the next local body elections.

While on other hand the federal government is also active to bring “competent bureaucrat” who knows the actual problems of Karachi and their solutions.

According to sources, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan also met Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah last week for allying with the PPP’s concerns.

The AGP assured Shah that the Centre is not going to intervene in Sindh’s affairs by imposing the governor’s rule or by invoking Article 149 of the Constitution in a bid to put Karachi under the federal government’s control.

Sindh government to finalize name after consultation with top party leadership while there are more chances of any bureaucracy to be an administrator of Karachi.

During the meeting PPP Chairman Bilawal criticised “the people who dream about handing over Karachi’s control to the federal government without any valid cause”. He said there was no basis to demand that the federal government should assume the control of Karachi on the basis of the city’s civic problems caused due to natural reasons.

“If such demands are made then it will not remain specific to the case of Karachi,” he warned. The PPP chairman said Karachi was his city and its development was dear to him. He said the people of Karachi had the right to make “decisions about their native city and the federal government should not decide about the capital city of Sindh”.

Karachi political leader from MQM-P has claimed that a ‘neutral and non-political’ administrator will be appointed in the metropolis over the recommendations of the advisory committee.

Karachi politicians say that the Sindh government has the right to appoint Karachi administrator, but it should consult it with other stakeholders. “A decision with mutual understanding is needed for prosper Karachi”,

On the other hand, CM spokesperson said that CM has already clarified that the appointment of the Karachi administrator is an administrative issue and would be dealt with accordingly.