Declare Karachi disaster-hit city, waive taxes: Sattar

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan senior leader Dr. Farooq Sattar has demanded that Karachi be declared a disaster-hit city and all federal and provincial taxes waived in light of the massive destruction caused by recent rains.

Addressing a press conference at the party's Bahadurabad headquarters alongside senior leader Syed Aminul Haque, Leader of the Opposition Ali Khurshidi, and MQM legislators, Dr. Sattar said that citizens remained trapped in their homes and stranded on roads for up to 12 hours due to administrative negligence. He accused PPP government of failing Karachi despite enjoying full control over provincial resources. He claimed that if drains were properly cleaned, the city could withstand up to 400 millimeters of rainfall.

Dr. Sattar also lashed out at Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, alleging that both parties had abandoned Karachi in its time of need. He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take serious notice of the situation and send federal ministers and advisers to Karachi.

Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi said Karachi is not limited to Shahrea Faisal alone: "In middle-class neighborhoods, people's homes are flooded with knee-deep water. Provincial ministers and the mayor should visit these areas-maybe then they will feel ashamed."

MQM legislators were also present during the press conference.