Rejecting advice: PPI dismisses HRCP’s recommendations

The PPP is dividing the city for its own benefit, says Marwat.

KARACHI:

The president of Punjabi Pakhtoon Ittehad (PPI), Irfanullah Khan Marwat, rejected the recommendations of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) regarding the division of Karachi into three districts and called it a conspiracy against the peace of the city.

Marwat said that Qaiser Bengali, who was with HRCP when the recommendations were given, was sent by the government. According to him, Qaiser Bengali backed the HRCP since he is the adviser of Sindh chief minister. “Malir is the vote bank of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and that’s why they divided the city in three districts,” said Marwat. “They are dividing the city among each other for their own benefits.”

He said that this step will instigate further violence in the city. The PPI will never let Karachi be divided on ethnic basis but the city should be divided into six or seven districts for better administrative purposes, he said.

He also rejected the local government system in Karachi and demanded the restoration of the commissionerate system across the province. He warned that if local government system was enforced again then his party will take to the streets in protest and organise strikes. “If the local government system was that effective then why it was not introduced in Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad,” he asked.

He also criticised the registration of voters and voter lists drive in the city, and declared it as “bogus”. According to him, activists of Muttahida Qaumi Movement distributed voter lists in Shah Faisal Town. He said that when he contacted the election commission they refused to take action. “The election commission people say that they cannot take any action against the party’s activists because of political pressure.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2011.