Issue new number plates for free'

MQM-P leader comes out all guns blazing against imposition of Ajrak-themed number plates of vehicles

KARACHI:

Issue the new Ajrak-themed number plates for free or stop legal action for non-compliance, said Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) senior leader Dr. Farooq Sattar on Sunday.

Sattar strongly criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), accusing it of running a feudal form of democracy in Sindh for the past 17 years. He warned that Karachi, the province's economic backbone, was being systematically exploited, while its citizens were being pushed to the wall.

Addressing a press conference at MQM-P's Bahadurabad headquarters alongside senior leaders Syed Amin-ul-Haque, Zahid Mansoori, Shakil Ahmed, and others, Sattar said "there is a smoldering anger in Sindh's cities. Karachi is being looted in the name of culture, and the feudal rulers have shown unprecedented arrogance," he said.

He questioned the recent promotion of Ajrak-themed number plates, claiming that behind this cultural facade lies a "new avenue of exploitation." He alleged that thousands of traffic policemen from interior Sindh have been deployed in Karachi and are extorting money from citizens under the pretext of enforcement.

"Governor Sindh has rightly pointed out that Ajrak will lose its sanctity if it is used to loot people," he added.

Sattar pointed out that while in interior Sindh more than 95% of vehicles reportedly operate without number plates, no action is taken there. "Karachi, the golden goose, is being slaughtered," he said, calling for either free issuance of number plates or a halt to arbitrary penalties.

He also criticised the recent transfer of 40 employees from the Sehwan Development Authority to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), terming it an "injustice" to Karachi's youth. "Karachi and Hyderabad domicile holders are being sidelined in government institutions," he said.

The MQM leader said that the collapse of buildings in Lyari and failure to implement policies on dangerous structures reflect the PPP-led provincial government's negligence. He demanded that former chief ministers and local government ministers be named in FIRs for allowing illegal constructions during their tenure.

"The Minister for Local Government is obligated to convene meetings on dangerous buildings every three months — but they have shown complete disregard," he noted.

Touching on education, Sattar claimed that in the recent NED University entrance exam, 90% of students from Sindh's rural boards failed, while 76% from Karachi passed, showing a glaring disparity.

"I feel sorry for these children. They are being made dependent on crutches by a broken system," he remarked.

Sattar also criticized the Karachi mayor and the Jamaat-e-Islami's nine town chairmen, blaming them for poor city conditions. "The mayor says he is not responsible for lanes and neighborhoods. Then who is?" he asked.