Karachi: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief Monem Zafar Khan on Monday said that the mayor of Karachi had been imposed on the city's residents through 'mandate theft and deception,' saying he was favored by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, Monem Zafar Khan said the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party had 'ruined Karachi' during its 18-year rule in Sindh, adding that even today more than half of the city lacked access to clean drinking water. He claimed the current mayor had been brought into office by 'murdering democracy' and had become a source of suffering for the people of Karachi.
He said public transport was practically non-existent in the metropolis and citizens, including youth and children, were daily falling victim to accidents involving heavy dumpers and water tankers as well as armed street criminals. Karachi residents were also suffering due to broken roads, traffic congestion, and deteriorating infrastructure, he added.
Monem Zafar said that under the Karimabad underpass project, Rs4 billion had been spent over three years to build 'two narrow 18-foot-wide lanes.' He said the same amount could have been used to construct around 4,000 streets across the city.
He further said that the Hub Canal-2 project, which had promised an additional supply of 100 million gallons of water per day, had instead seen supply fall to around 40-45 MGD. The canal project - built at a cost of Rs12.8 billion - had failed to provide water to areas including Orangi Town, Baldia, District Central, and SITE.
The JI leader said major projects such as the K-4 water supply scheme and the Karachi Circular Railway had still not been completed. Karachi required around 15,000 buses to meet transport demand, he said, adding that 'five double-decker buses and a few hundred others' could never solve the city's transport problems.
Monem Zafar also said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Pakistan Peoples Party had historically been partners in 'crime and corruption,' accusing both parties of engaging in 'friendly fire' while simultaneously cooperating to control Karachi's resources and powers.
He said the Sindh government had deprived Karachi's residents of their basic right to live with dignity. In such circumstances, he added, remaining silent was not possible.
Monem Zafar said JI's 'Haq Do Karachi' movement had effectively become a 'Let Karachi Live' movement. More than 13 public gatherings had been held during Ramadan, and after Eid al-Fitr the party would intensify its campaign for the rights of Karachi and for an empowered mega-city government. He also announced that a no-confidence motion would be brought against the mayor.
Speaking further, he said that over the past 15 years the Sindh government had spent Rs3.36 trillion on Karachi but was now announcing only Rs68 billion for the city's development this year.
He questioned how this amount would be utilized and whether it would be spent in the same way as the Karimabad underpass project, which he described as unnecessary and still incomplete.
He also asked Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to explain why the Safe City project had not yet been completed. Citing figures from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, he said that in the past two months Karachi had recorded 9,448 street crimes, including over 6,000 incidents of motorcycle theft or snatching and more than 2,500 mobile phone snatching cases, resulting in 15 deaths.
He added that more than 2,100 traffic accidents had occurred in the city during the past 70 days, including over 70 involving heavy vehicles.
Monem Zafar criticized Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon for saying the Bus Rapid Transit Red Line project was meant for future generations, remarking that the 26-kilometer project had already become a major source of inconvenience for citizens.
He further said large parts of the city were facing power outages during Ramadan, including at the time of sehri and taraweeh prayers, warning that the situation could worsen with the onset of summer.