City Council session: Banners criticising Karachi's mayor put up at KMC building gate

Wasim Akhtar adjourns session within minutes to save face

KARACHI: Minutes before the local bodies elected representatives were to meet on Tuesday for the City Council session, some people put up on the main gates of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Building banners criticising Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar's performance.

The banners, inscribed with slogans, slammed the mayor for his failure to deliver in the city. The slogans read: "Corruption mafia ke sarparast mayor, Karachi ke wasael ka chhor, Wasim Akhtar [Patron of corruption mafia, robber of Karachi's resources - Wasim Akhtar]."

Once the session started, after a gap of three months, Akhtar took up the proceeding and adjourned the session within a few minutes. Amid the chaos and pandemonium, he left the House only after a resolution on 'Technical Services (Mechanical and Electrical Impress Account)', was adopted.



Opposition members said the panic and fear in the ranks of the mayor's party compelled Akhtar to adjourn the session to protect him from criticism.  As the session started at 3pm in the KMC Building, some members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) welcomed the mayor thumping their desks, while the opposition members stood at their seats, waiting their turn to speak as the recitation of Quran ended.

"Let me finish the agenda, first. I will listen to you," said Akhtar, assuring the joint opposition members who continued their protest against him.

Amid the chaos, confusion and disorder in the House, a member sitting on the treasury benches moved a resolution, 'Technical Services (Mechanical and Electrical Impress Account),' to increase daily funds.



The treasury members raised their hands in support of the resolution while the opposition members were busy in their protest.  Seeing the chaos spread because of the protest, the mayor had no option but to adjourn the session.

"He has adjourned the session because many MQM members wanted to speak against him so he preferred to leave the session rather than facing more embarrassment," said Jamaat-e-Islami leader Junaid Makati.  He added that it was the first session in the history of KMC, which finished within five minutes.

"There were rumours that the opposition would bring a no-confidence resolution against me," Akhtar said, while talking to the media after the session.

"The opposition should know that the majority in the House belongs to us," he said, adding that if the opposition wanted to bring a vote of no confidence then they should separately summon the session for this purpose.



According to the mayor, there was an agenda which was passed with the majority. "I told the opposition members to finish with the agenda of today's session and then I would take questions but the opposition wanted to bring disorder in the House."

"I urge the opposition to have an adviser, who can guide them on the proceedings of the session and on politics as well," the mayor added.

Commenting on the recent joining of Deputy Mayor Arshad Vohra in Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), Akhtar said, "It's shocking that when I was in jail, he [Vohra] was fighting a case that the Sindh government is not allowing him to work but now he is saying that the mayor is unable to deliver."

"However, I still consider him [Vohra] as my brother and if he feels that his issues can be resolved by joining PSP as he had some pressure then I won't mind," he opined.

Criticising PSP, Akhtar said that it's like a fixed account of MQM-Pakistan. "It's a safe deposit and we'll mature this account during the 2018 general elections," he added.



He inquired how the opposition can say that they haven't delivered since they don't have powers under the Sindh Local Government Act, 2015.

"The Sindh government has kept all the powers with them and I can't give a mega project of water, sewerage, underpass or a flyover," he said, adding that he wouldn't surrender despite the pressure.

Talking to the media, KMC opposition leader Karamullah Waqasi said that the way the City Council session ended proved that all the allegations leveled against the mayor during the press conference prior to the session are justified.

Waqasi emphasised that never in the history KMC has there been a deficit of Rs1 billion within the first three months of a fiscal year. Now, even the deputy mayor has leveled allegations against his own mayor, Waqasi said.

According to Waqasi, Akhtar just wants to loot KMC. He [Akhtar] doesn't follow the democratic norms. The mayor cries for powers but he doesn't share power with others, he said.



He believes that he is not answerable and functions as a one-man show, Waqasi said, adding that Akhtar thinks he is above accountability. The conditions were far better when the administrator was managing the KMC affairs.

Mukati said that Akhtar is a weak mayor. "They haven't spent a single penny out of Rs26.5 billion development budget on the development of Karachi during the previous and current fiscal year," Mukati added.

According to him, members of the Rabita Committee were monitoring the session from a press gallery and hence never gave a chance to let them speak during the session.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi said that the House is not being run according to democratic norms under the mayorship of Akhtar.

The mayor, prior to the sessions, said that he would listen to the reservations of and questions raised by the opposition but he did not give them a chance to speak.



"Even now, the deputy mayor has charged him [Akhtar] of a lack of vision and timing. The mayor has no formula to improve the conditions of Karachi," remarked Naqvi.

According to the PTI leader, the mayor's party has looted Karachi for the past 30 years and now they have started believing that they won't come in power again, they have started to loot the city again.

Naqvi advised Farooq Sattar to take action in their party as the mayor might also join PSP for his protection against the cases and emphasised that he should consider his resigning from the post of mayor if he can't deliver.