KARACHI: Presenting his analysis in the programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ on Thursday, the host Shahzeb Khanzada said not only its magnificence was spoiled; the roads of Karachi city were also devastated causing loss of billion of rupees. Those responsible for these huge damages were administrator and employees of the Karachi Municipal Corporation. It is alleged that politicians were also behind this crime or their name and position were used. Khanzada said the government servants had been prowling Karachi with both hands. The KMC, which is supposed to keep the city clean, hygienic and dirt-free, clean swept the funds meant for the purpose. A Sindh minister had also been sharing this corruption, it is said. Whichever road of the city you pass through you will find heaps and heaps of garbage not lifted since long as there is no money, there is also no money for repairing damaged roads, no money for cleaning the choked sewerage pipelines and rain drains. All funds for these jobs have virtually been gulped down by corruption. There is yet another source of income – the billboards – which mint billions for the KMC, but there are also new records of corruption in it. Such big number of boards are found nowhere in the world. Many of these billboards should have been properly auctioned, but there was no auction and ads have been put on them. This indicates the amount to be recovered for the KMC was pocketed by others. There are many billboards erected at places where their erection is not legally allowed, while there are many places where there was permission to erect one, there are four for five instead. Khanzada also pointed out that so many billboards have been erected without payment of tax. Many of them were auctioned but the recovery was given on contract to certain firms, which made away with the money. According to information, the FIA has found that a director of the KMC owns seven companies. According to rules no employee can own such business, but 14 employees, including a former administrator, made big money through sale of the billboard sites, caused huge losses to Karachi. Leader of the People’s Party Qamar Zaman Kaira, while speaking to Shahzeb Khanzada, asserted the PPP is not supporting corruption. He said there should be accountability in all provinces to purge corruption. He said the federal government, its institutions and the provinces should work within their limits. He said Makhdoom Amin Fahim is very sick and issuance of his non-bailable arrest warrant is not justified, while Yusuf Raza Gillani is already appearing in the court. Kaira said the PPP had always been against terrorism and extremism. He said leader of the PPP was martyred in a terror incident. The arrest of a leader of the PPP under anti-terrorist law is tantamount to involving the party into terrorism, which means the law against terrorism is being politically used. It appears that the military courts might also be used for political purposes in future. In case any person is involved in financing terrorism then evidence against him should be produced in the court. Kaira said he did not know Uzair Baloch and added that leaders of political parties do not necessarily know all people. Lots of people meet us at different functions and labelling such people as affiliated or part of the People’s Party is not justified. He said every government of Sindh had been alleged of remaining involved in corruption but why only the People’s Party is being targeted. He said it was wrong that the Sindh government did not activate its anti-corruption department and is now suffering for it. Kaira said there was also corruption and actions were taken by the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but why the federal institutions find corruption only in Sindh, which indicates that everything is going on well in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said Sindh should not be singled out. He pointed out that Asif Zardari is facing cases framed against him 25 to 30 years earlier. Referring to Khursheed Shah, Kaira said he told about ‘war’ with the federal government. He said the federal government should stop it if any institution is functioning beyond its mandate. He said Khursheed Shah used the word ‘war’ and meant there would be increase in tension. His word ‘war’ did not mean ‘war with weapons’ He asserted the People’s Party wants to keep the system well set with the policy of reconciliation, while our workers are perturbed over the reconciliation policy. PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said we want to go ahead taking along all political forces. He said the Karachi operation had been started and is going on with the consent and support of all political parties. He pointed out that the Sindh government has recently given ascent to the Rangers operation. In case there are complaints, then Sindh Apex Committee, headed by Sindh chief minister, is there to settle the issues. The government took immediate notice of the reservations expressed by the MQM. He said no one is being targeted in the operation but eyes cannot be closed over corruption cases. There should not be any revengeful actions, and they would be removed if anyone has reservations. Ahsan Iqbal said it was not decided to contest in the by-election due to stay order in the case but would not seek stay order from courts in the other two constituencies and will go to the court of the masses. We will adopt the legal course to correct the record. He said it is Imran Khan’s strange argument that he would contest if the prime minister is his opponent in the election. He has levelled allegations against Ayaz Sadiq and should contest against him. Ahsan Iqbal said irregularities in elections had always been there and this is not for the first time. But, he said, the ratio of irregularities in the 2013 elections, were far less than the previous polls. He mentioned that Tehreek-e-Insaf contested the local bodies’ elections under the supervision of the same Election Commission but had no objection. It is only the Supreme Judicial Council which can terminate members of the Election Commission. He said if members of the Election Commission tendered their resignations, the Commission would become incomplete and there would be no legal status of any elections if they were held by an incomplete ECP. On the other hand the local bodies’ elections also cannot be held if members of the Election Commission are removed. He advised that the PTI should attend meeting of the Electoral Reforms Committee and settle the matter of forming new Election Commission. SSP CTD Naveed Khwaja, while talking to Shahzeb Khanzada, said four RAW trained agents have been arrested with the cooperation of the CTD and intelligence agencies. One laptop and one palmtop have been recovered from them. Emails and communication messages in these gadgets give clear evidence that the arrested four men are foreign agents. There are also pamphlets of RAW in the laptop and palmtop. The confessions of these agents testify certain ground facts, while some accounts are also being investigated. The SSP said a JIT is being formed for these four agents. A complete investigation will reveal who is behind them within and outside the country.
