Political matters: ‘MQM received biggest people’s mandate in history’

Party plans to seek help of Sindh Assembly and judiciary to empower the mayor

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Tuesday claimed that the party has received the biggest people's mandate in history.

Addressing the press conference at Lal Qila Ground, MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that the party had rejected the 2013 local government system because the elected mayors of cities in Sindh have no powers under it.

"We had opposed it in the assembly, but were unable to have it removed," Rizvi said. According to him, it is a black law that empowers the bureaucracy and weakens the local government system, and the major reason behind the imposition of such a law is to retain provincial control over departments of local government.



Article 140-A of the Constitution not only ensures that provincial government builds local government departments, but also transfers financial and political powers to the elected representatives, said Rizvi. Despite this, the local government system of 2013 was imposed, he pointed out.

The party leader he said that such a powerless system is not acceptable to the people of Karachi because they do not want their mayor to be a 'beggar'. Rizvi added that MQM will go to Sindh Assembly and the judiciary to empower the mayor. Central executive council incharge Waseem Akhtar appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice and to return the powers of local government representatives as stated in Article 140-A.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2015.