The Sindh government appointed Dr Syed Saifur Rehman as the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator on Thursday. He replaced Barrister Murtaza Wahab, a Pakistan Peoples Party leader who also serves as the spokesperson for the Sindh government and adviser to the chief minister on law.
According to a notification issued by the Sindh local government department, after accepting resignation of Wahab as the KMC administrator, the Sindh government had appointed Rehman, who is an officer of PAS (BS-20), as the KMC administrator with immediate effect till further orders.
Rehman was recently serving as the principal secretary to the Sindh governor. He has also served as the KMC metropolitan commissioner during the era of Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar. He has also served in Balochistan during his civil service.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori held a meeting with Rehman after he was appointed as the KMC administrator and discussed with him challenges and issues of the city. The governor stressed the need for collective efforts for the resolution of challenges that the city has been facing. He said Rehman’s experience would help the city grow and resolve its longstanding issues.
Also on Thursday, Wahab held a farewell meeting with officers and employees of the municipality at the Old KMC building. Those who were present on the occasion included Senior Director Anti-Encroachment Imran Rajput, Senior Director Charged Parking Kanwar Ayub, Senior Director Media Management Ali Hassan Sajid, Director Estate Muhammad Imran, Director City Warden Raja Rustam, Secretary to Administrator Muhammad Zafar, Director Protocol Abdul Rahim Qudwai and representatives of various unions and staff.
Wahab distributed new uniforms to the city wardens on his last day as the KMC administrator. Speaking on the occasion, he said the officers and staff of the KMC had worked diligently during his tenure and he was proud of them. "KMC officers want to work and during recent past when Karachi was suffering due to rains, our departments performed their duties with utmost responsibility, hard work and dedication and despite 150mm of rain, the city did not close down," he said.
He also lauded the performance of the city wardens. "The journey of construction and development of Karachi should continue and the government of Sindh is taking steps to resolve the problems of the city," he maintained
The outgoing KMC administrator said that he had served Karachi with good intentions and dedication. The KMC was the largest local body of Pakistan and it should be strengthened so that it could solve the local problems of the citizens, he added. Wahab also inspected a medical camp jointly organised by the Essa Laboratory and KMC where various tests were being conducted.
Manager Corporate Ayesha Mumtaz told him that so far blood samples of hundreds of employees the municipality had been collected and they would be informed about the results of their medical tests.
What MQM-P wanted
Commenting on the appointment of Dr Syed Saifur Rehman as the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Senior Deputy Convener Aamir Khan has said that his party had suggested the name of Abdul Waseem for the post and he did not know who changed the suggested name.
Talking to the media, he said that he was abroad when progress was being made regarding changing the KMC administrator. He, however, said he did not doubt Dr Rehman’s abilities and talents, but the appointment of a new administrator for one-and-a-half months was beyond understanding.
The situation in the city was very bad and could not be improved in a month and a half, he said. He also clarified that the MQM-P had not taken any decision of boycotting the local government elections. If the elections were held, the party would fully participate in them, he said.