KARACHI:Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Monam Zafar on Sunday inaugurated Ghulam Hussain Park, Khudadad Colony, under Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) Jinnah, along with JI District Qaideen chief Engineer Abdul Aziz, Town Chairman Jinnah Rizwan Abdus Sami, Chairman UC-11 Noman Hameed and Vice Chairman Aleemuddin.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Monem Zafar said time had proved that Pakistan Peoples Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement had completely failed to resolve Karachi's issues, only JI could carry out construction and development of the city, and the next mayor would be from JI. JI had always made honesty and integrity its motto and tried to serve people beyond available resources.

He said on Oct 22, JI Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman would gift eight buses to students of University of Karachi. The initiative was an effort to provide travel facility to students.

He said PPP, which had captured resources and powers of Karachi, had deprived citizens of basic facilities. Karachi provided 96 per cent revenue to the province, but even authority to lift garbage was not with towns and union committees. The PPP provincial government had kept this authority with itself, while despite spending billions of rupees in the name of garbage lifting, cleanliness situation in the city could not be improved.

He said at present a major issue of citizens in Karachi was loadshedding. Heavy electricity bills were collected from citizens, but despite that uninterrupted electricity was not provided to them. The institution whose responsibility was to provide continuous electricity to citizens appeared to be failing to fulfil its responsibilities.

K-Electric should mend its ways, otherwise JI would continue to raise voice against it for rights of citizens, he said.

He said honest and capable leadership was needed to take Karachi out of destruction and mismanagement. JI would continue its struggle for rights of citizens, provision of basic facilities and restoration of the city.

He said JI got opportunity to serve people in towns and union committees after a gap of about 18 years in extremely unfavourable conditions. Citizens of Karachi had expressed confidence in JI through vote, but first powers of union committees and then towns were snatched and a mayor who failed to resolve issues of citizens was also imposed on mayoral seat.

He said instead of providing cleanliness, water and other basic facilities to citizens, questions also existed regarding transparency in use of resources. Providing basic rights to citizens was responsibility of government, he said.

He said 22 years had passed since K-IV project was started, but no significant increase could be made in supply of drinking water to citizens. Billions of rupees were being earned by selling water to citizens through tankers.

He said during tenure of former city nazim of JI Naimatullah Khan, K-III project was completed and K-IV project was also presented, but later governments could not resolve issue of providing water to citizens. No work was done in this regard even during periods of Mustafa Kamal in 2006 and later Waseem Akhtar.

He said 242 parks had been restored during last three years in nine towns under JI administration, measures had been taken for improvement of playgrounds and government educational institutions. Vision of JI was to do maximum work for service of people despite limited powers. With same objective, concept of roadside jungle was presented and education card was issued for students of government schools, he added.

JI leaders Engineer Abdul Aziz, Town Chairman Rizwan Abdus Sami, JI leader Noman Hameed also addressed the ceremony.

On the occasion, Monem Zafar also planted a sapling. JI Karachi information secretary Zahid Askari, senior deputy information secretary Sohaib Ahmed and other office-bearers were also present at the inauguration of Ghulam Hussain Park.