Khuhro rejects Izhar’s allegations, says PPP never ignored Karachi uplift

Demands MQM should be held accountable for ignoring Lyari, Malir and
squandering the billions they were given for city’s development

Pakistan People’s Party Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said on Wednesday that his party had never ignored the development of Karachi and the allegations of Muttahdia Qaumi Movement MPA Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan, the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, were baseless.“Those levelling these allegations should first be held accountable for the Karachi package granted during the tenure of [former president] Prevez Musharraf as to why they had ignored the areas of Lyari and Malir,” Khuhro said at a press conference.

“They should also be held answerable for the billions of rupees they were given to spend on the city’s development.”

The minister was speaking in response to Hassan’s talk with reporters a day earlier wherein he had lambasted the PPP’s provincial government for constantly ignoring the development of Karachi and also for denying due powers to the elected public representatives in local government system of the city.

Khuhro said the Sindh government had devolved powers to the local government representatives in accordance with the laws passed by provincial assembly.

He added that the MQM had remained part of the government for 12 years and during that time it had not launched systems of solid waste management or disposal of municipal waste in the city.

To a question, Khuhro said the PPP would soon stage a “political long march” for its four demands and contact other political parties for this purpose.

He added that there were different options for this purpose – either the party could hold massive rallies or stage smaller ones in all districts.

The minister said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had announced that he would contest the by-election for the National Assembly constituency NA-204 in Larkana and the MNA there, who belonged to the PPP, would submit his resignation to the NA speaker whenever the party leadership would direct him to do so.

To another question, Khuhro said the PPP and the PPP-Parliamentarians were the same party.

He added that the PPP-Parliamentarians had been registered in the past after sanctions imposed by the then dictator Pervez Musharraf that barred the PPP from contesting the polls.

“Although both are the same political party, the Election Commission would be contacted to address the legal complications in this connection.”

On the occasion, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Karachi West district youth wing president Jamshed Tareen and vice-president of the party’s youth wing in Karachi division Liaquat Awan announced joining the PPP.