Flle photo of Farooq Sattar. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Speaking to the media in Karachi, Sattar said that the MQM was already opposed to the provincial government's new Local Government Act and had challenged it in court.
Sattar claimed that the Local Government Ordinance was a new shenanigan whose imposition would drain the city mayor, or 'nazim', of all powers. The Ordinance, Sattar claimed, would reduce elected representatives of the public to impotent dummies begging for approval from the Chief Minister for every move.
The MQM leader said the PPP was deliberately indulging in these mischievous tactics to bring its own mayor to Karachi.
In a separate press conference at 'Nine-Zero', MQM Raabita Committee members claimed that the Sindh government had used its majority in the provincial assembly to drive a wedge between Sindh's rural and urban areas.
They said the structural differences between village and city union councils were intentional attempts to under-represent the city populace and divert urban resources and funds to other areas.
Committee members further said the changes made to Karachi's districts were also attempts to project PPP's mandate much more than it actually was in the city.
They said the MQM had tried to stop PPP from this mischief and explain that their tactics would have adverse long-term effects, but the party had disregarded MQM's concerns and pressed on with their moves.
The MQM has enjoyed strong support in Sindh's two major urban centres Karachi and Hyderabad during the May elections, where it secured a majority of its 24 seats in the National Assembly.
When local government elections were last held in Karachi, the MQM backed Mustafa Kamal was voted into the mayor's seat.
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I'm sorry to say that MQM itself stared all this by making Karachi one district during Musharraf's time to get their District Nazim in Karachi. It was MQM's time, now it's PPP's time to manage a mandate for itself.
@mrs ahmed: Karachi's situation is symptomatic of Pakistan's condition overall. What ails Karachi also affects all of Pakistan. If Pakistan is ever going to become a socially democratic, economically progressive, and a just society for all of its' citizens, Karachi would have to be improved first. While I grant MQM being the representative party of Karachi and urban Sindh, and many of its' laudable traits, and thereby their right to govern Karachi, I would encourage you not to give them a blank check of immunity. It is hard to overlook the fear they have instilled in the electorate and their hard muscling tactics which are quite evident in the city. Also, a true leader cannot live out of the masses just as a fish cannot live outside of the water, to paraphrase Mao Zedong, no matter what the threats and dangers he may face. Karachi's people are educated and decent people overall, and deserve much better than what they have. Specially they do not deserve the corrupt bureaucrats brought from interior areas and the high-handedness and disrespect from the illiterate police forces brought from rural areas to staff Karachi's governmental agencies.
@Arzoo: yes truely sad for pakistan , that its elected represntatives cannot treat all citizens on the basis equity and justice , how long karachi would be denied its true share in resources and its elected memebers remain out of administration and governanace , a brief period from 2002 till 2007 , all elected mqm people showed their competence , honesty and concern for the people. Isnt it amazing not a single corruption charges in this hostile environment against , mqm MNAs and MPAs and local body elected persons.
Karachi "NEEDS" to be a separate province.
@Shaheryar Najeeb: Do not feel sad for MQM. Feel sad for Pakistan for being anti-people and anti-democratic from day one of its' creation. Asking for self-determination and self-governance for the people of Kashmir and depriving its' own people from those rights and not even feeling the shame of hypocrisy is what you should feel sad for. The Bengalis were wise enough to cut their losses and run in 24 years after Independence and you cannot see and learn from those mistakes is what you should feel sad for. All the missing people in Balochistan and the Supreme Court not being able to retrieve them is what you should feel sad for. Do not feel sad for MQM.
@Shaheryar Najeeb:
Who is stopping MQM from joining the federal or provincial governments? They themselves don't want to join with one of them this time.
What can you do. Karachi is treated as a colony.
Sometimes I rally feel sad for MQM, even though they secured 24 seats in NA and 47 seats in PA still neither part of federal government nor provincial government, how can they serve their voters by sitting in opposition. Plus a pressure from Met Police in UK. I think it is Karma!