A file photo showing deserted roads of Karachi during a strike. PHOTO: ONLINE
Concluding the debate on the provincial budget during the Sindh Assembly session on Friday, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah pointed out that Karachi loses Rs15 billion every day that it remains shut. “Karachi is a city for everyone and if any party has reservations then it should talk to the government instead of giving frequent strike calls,” he said.
Addressing MQM lawmakers in the house, Shah said that the party complained about insufficient funds for Karachi, yet it continues to announce shutter downs. “I want you to know that the residents of Karachi, the business community and the rest of the country are suffering because of this.”
‘No power to appoint IG’
The CM revealed that he has no power to appoint the police IG, the chief secretary or the Rangers’ director-general Rangers. “You all know that the federal government appoints these officers and also removes them,” he told the house, adding that he is helpless of the Rangers official refuses to attend a law and order meeting. “I can neither punish these officers nor give them any explanation,” he said.
Shah also disclosed that intelligence agencies were not fully aware about their jobs and there is a dire need for capacity building. There are only 24,000 police personnel working day and night in Karachi to protect over 20 million people, which is not sufficient, he said. “We are going to appoint 20,000 more police personnel this year to fill this huge gap.”
Referring to one of the MQM members’ speech on the arrest of 100 workers of their party, Shah denied that any party workers were arrested. “We have arrested some notorious criminals but we don’t know if the MQM owns them,” he said. “All criminals - whether they belong to the PPP, MQM or PML-N - should have no room in any party.”
Hyderabad University
As most of the CM’s speech was dedicated to responding to MQM allegations, Shah spoke about the issue of establishing Hyderabad University as well. A camp of Sindh University is already working over there but the education minister will further initiate dialogue with the MQM to set up the university, he clarified. “We have already established Jinnah Sindh Medical University in Karachi on MQM’s recommendation of MQM and appointed the vice-chancellor on their demand as well.”
CCI meeting on electricity
The CM assured the lawmakers that he would take up the issue of the federal government’s decision to cut 650MW of KESC from the national grid. “After water, the federal government now wants to divert our electricity to the Punjab but we will not let them to do it,” he said.
Opposition talks
Earlier in his speech, opposition leader Faisal Subzwari opposed the property tax and levy on marriage halls. He demanded the Sindh government implement the 18th Amendment in letter and sprit by holding local government elections. “We are supposed to make the law at this forum but it is the local government that has to initiate the development schemes by building roads and giving water and sanitation schemes,” he said, adding that the federal government issues funds to the provincial government, which has failed to make a finance commission to distribute funds among the districts.
Minimum wage raised to Rs10,000
In a welcome move, Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah increased the minimum wage from Rs8,000 to Rs10,000 even though it was missed in the budget. The opposition endorsed the move as they joined the treasury members in thumping their desks to show their approval.
The government also passed supplementary budget of Rs56.99 million for the year 2012-2013 even though the motion, moved by the CM, was opposed by members belonging to Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and PML-Nawaz. As per tradition, the opposition members also presented their cut motions and asked the government to cut down around Rs4 billion from various sector due to the financial constraints. The government rejected, however, all cut motions and passed the grants for the next fiscal year.
Earlier, the government used its majority to quash all calls by legislators belonging to PML-N, PML-F, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for a decrease in non-development expenditure. The demands were made when the charged expenses related to the Governor House, the CM House and other departments came up for discussion.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2013.
COMMENTS (27)
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Lets be realistic here if want solutions. You cannot have two laws in the same country. If somewhere in Pakistan people are allowed to keep and master weaponary it will trickle down to other areas of the country. And so weapons and use are prevalent not only in Karachi but also in Punjab. Keep in mind Karachi never had the culture of keeping and using weapons till early 60s. So even with a million clean up operations Karachi will again have weapons, esp with non functional judiciary and corrupt police.
So our brothers have to do away with the slogan Hatyar Zewar be it greek or roman mythology. If law of Pakistan says no weapons then there should not be any weapon in any part of Pakistan be its manufacturing or trading. You cannot apply law selectively on a certain part of the country and rest gets a different treatment. This will never work. I know its tough but if this Zewar is not taken to Dubai and Saudi Arabia then definitely it can be stopped in Pakistan. Otherwise legalise all kind of weapons throughout the country and end this debate of illegal weapons.
Also someone has to figure it out how these weapons conveniently travel 2000 km to Karachi, unless there is a MAGIC which we cannot comprehend.
On another note Karachi has never been racist city otherwise all the different ethnicities would have not survived and prospered, whosoever worked hard got the rewards. This is evident by the multiethnic representation of business community, traders, workers students, media and henceworth.
To CM :Do not close the all city esle how come my party worker (PAC) collect the bhutta from old city, just close the new city.
True leaders don't reside out of their own country if they are really sincere to their cause. History of Mandela is in front of all of us.
Time will tell who is sincere to the country. By having a sector/ unit in-charge as a local mayor to the position is not what the Karachites wants. Any honest person can make the difference from any community as long the individual is able to deliver.
Whoever takes the responsibility must be accountable to the nation.
@Aysha M: I cannot agree more with your very factual comments..Lets look at history of Karachi briefly , mohajirs did not displace any inhabitants of karchi pre 1947 , because hindus left , and mohajirs filled in, they spread the city and paved the way for people from interior sindh and up north and also from the punjab to come , they received by new locals with open arms , why should they not , karachi was the fderal capital , city for all pakistanis . Ayube Khan arrival and woes of karachi begin , 1964 , GAUHER AYUB, DSCENDED with guns and started blood shed of poor mohajirs , and then with intervals it kept happening , till 1978 when Altaaf bhai realised that we mohajirs also have rights and then expanded hs movement for the rights for poor and deprived of whole Pakistanis. This is the root cause , poor empowerment , thats all , th is the way it hapens when poor of any society wake up for their rights . Best is that administration of Karchi is left t elected members who are true karaciites , under directly elected mayor
@Anonymous: @Faraz Kakar: @Such Bolta Hoon: @Aysha M: Please take a breath, unless we learn to call wrong a wrong, no matter who does it and unless we learn to appreciate a good deed no matter who has done it, we should not claim to be educated, education teaches Value, and the most valuable thing should be a country, country where every one can live and treated equally. With due respect I see you all quoting history upon each other, but trust me you are missing the basic...being honest and just....
ET: Please allow this so I can clarify a point and ask a question from @Aysha M:
a. The quote ''Hatyar and Zewar slogan'' which you quote repeatedly has a far deeper meaning than your dishonest interpretation. It is inspired by the Roman belief who believed that weapons were ''an ornament in peace and a defence in war". I only say don't give an ethnic or linguistic colour to the target killings, bhatta-khori and bori-band lashien in Karachi. Everybody knows these na-maalom afraad. This violence affect the common people of Karachi irrespective of their ethnic affiliation. It has nothing to do with historic grievances. It is simple criminality.
b. As for your reference to status quo forces, I wonder if Canadian court and Scotland Yard are also part of status quo forces? MQM has been part of almost every government in the last 2 decades and was generously supported by the last dictator. How come they talk of status quo?
@Such Bolta Hoon: "This is what happened with Bangladesh (west Pakistan). There was an enemy between the two Pakistans."
You are forever doomed. And I am depressed to an unbearable stage.
Forty-two years and you still think Pakistan (east) was not responsible for separation?? What a sorry state you are in.....Please go busy yourself somewhere else, geopolitics is not your playground.
@Aysha M whatever version I originally thought you are naive but you are probably some paid agent inciting hatred on the web. This is what happened with Bangladesh (west Pakistan). There was an enemy between the two Pakistans. Nation will rise against your racist claims. Let people of Karachi live in peace please. Supporters from JI , ANP and PTI are from middle class background why do they claim that MQM terrorises Karachites. This is utter nonsensical to believe that forces of status quo are creating such perceptions. I have personally seen all this in Karachi with my own eyes. Moreover my forefathers also migrated and never claim to be immigrant we are Pakistanis just living in Karachi.
@Faraz Kakar: perceptions created by the forces of status quo, otherwise people of middle and lower middle classes would have followed suit, and marched on to the corridors of power like MQM, which obviously could not sit in well with the ruling elite, hence mass scale smear campaign
@Anonymous:
“Fools!, your Reward is neither Here nor There!” Omer Khayam THE RUBAIYAT (25)
We were just fools, sacrificed before partition for Pakistan, laid lives to support Pak Army and the federation of Pakistan, and to-date, getting killed in Karachi
He may be talking about here and hereafter, but I think what my grandparents did was beyond idiocy, which could not be rewarded
@Such Bolta Hoon: This is not hatred, HATHYAAR can never be a ZAYWAR, why cant that be appreciated. Education is the only way that can lead to common good.
@Such Bolta Hoon: Could not have said it better. Very true. Posting your response to @Aysha M.
''You can distort history as much as you can but everyone knows who has been terrorising Karachi for last 27 years. We all know that MQM has been involved in destroying community cohesion. Courts from other countries have given judgements and labelled only one party.''
@Anonymous: @Such Bolta Hoon: Abul Kalam Azad predicted exactly this. May Allah bless his soul, a true visionary
@Anonymous: ‘hatyar hamarey zewar hein’ was once also home to the most famous movement of non-violence in the 1930s –
Gone with Gaffar Gandhi
Everybody knows some live off warfare, not even super power could tame them. Women are buried alive, as per traditions of the land, what does Islam have to say about it, nobody cares
@Anonymous: . . . at a time when you were convinced that you cannot live with those who have a different religion than yours.
Thank you so much, this is what you think of the TWO NATION THEORY
@Aysha M Lets go for the operation cleanup and you will see how many factories there are in Karachi.How many torture cells were found in the past and who was involved. What has MQM been able to achieve in fact has distanced its following from other ethnic communities who don't have problem in coexistence. Most journalists are terrorised by telling the truth about MQM some have now started opening up now. This attitude of yours is not helping Karachites just remember and you are only destroying Karachi by such comments/ hatred.
@ Aysha M whatever version Your views clearly reflect the typical racist and bias attitude that we have seen since 1987 with whatever name your party adopts. You can distort history as much as you can but everyone knows who has been terrorising Karachi for last 27 years.
We all know that MQM has been involved in destroying community cohesion. Courts from other countries have given judgements and labelled only one party. Please also refer to the Two nation theory that stated that the Muslim majority areas wwere to be converted into Pakistan so the claim of liberation that you make is bit wish a washy and must be differentiated between " fiinding an opportunity". People who migrated from India and settled in Punjab/ Sindh elsewhere have integrated well and never cause problems wherever they live.even in Karachi.
Think before you say something and be grateful that we as Pakistanis have a homeland unlike many others.
@Faraz Kakar: I am sorry, I cannot appreciate the philosophy 'HATYAAR HUMARA ZAYWER HAI', in Islam ILM alone is to be considered a ZAYWAR.
Another question, this zawer is brought to Karachi but left behind when catching flight to Dubai.
'HATYAAR HUMARA ZAYWER HAI', completely destroyed Karachi
@Such Bolta Hoon: . . . you reap the seeds that you sow.
Not sure about this, my grandparents struggled, sacrificed life and property for the liberation of a land they did not even set their foot on. All in the name of Islam.
I dont like what i am reaping of it
@Aysha M: ''Ever since hordes with their tribal mindset descended upon Karachi...''
Why do you have such a racist mindset? Karachi is burning because every political party has a militant wing that indulges in crimes. Such views are hateful and very unfair. Common people don't hate each other just because of linguistic and cultural difference. The Urdu speaking, pashtuns, punjabi's, sindhi's and everyone else live peacefully in Karachi and everywhere else in the country. Only people with evil mindset and lust for power politicize and exploit these differences for gaining political influence. A common tribesman comes to Karachi to earn his living and in return contributes to building the city by his hardwork, sweat and labour. He does not come for target killing and bhatta-khori. Criminals, thugs and killers don't represent a particular ethnicity or religion. They can be from anywhere.
@Such Bolta Hoon: A lesson in history is required here.
Karachites were punished for supporting Mohtarrama Fatima Jinnah when she contested Presidential election; mayhem in the streets of Karachi was witnessed.Karachites are considered expendable by most of Pakistan
There is no weapon manufacturing factory in Karachi, how do weapons find their into Karachi. Ever since hordes with their tribal mindset descended upon Karachi, the city has lost its peace, The tribal culture gained strength which is largely defined by unrestrained use of weapon and turf wars and vengeance.
There should be clean up across the board, the right place to begin is perhaps where human heads were used as footballs, Incredible barbarism
@Aysha M whatever version Two wrongs don't make a right. Everyone knows that the Demonstrations organised by MQM are violent/ forceful, terrorising and harming Karachites more than anyone else. Just think who does the demonstrations effect the most....... You have a right to vote whoever you want but remember you reap the seeds that you sow.
Readers This is what must be realised that Karachi was fine before 1987. Who started this culture of violence, bhatta khory, targetted killing,torture cells, setting buses on fire etc. Karachi needs peace as well as an operation clean up. Demonstrations organised so far have not been peaceful. CLEAN UP required.
Very strange Mr. Chief Minister, one side innocent citizens and the workers of political party are brutally killed and the other side you want that mazlooms should not cry and protest against killings. Stop this wadera type politicis to impose on the citizens of karachi
look who is saying
CM, please show some interest in restoring peace in the city, so that there is no need to shut down the city.
Instead of going to Quaid's mazar after taking oath, you went to Lyari, this action speaks so much of intention you have for Karachi