JI links cooperation in City Council to budget presentation

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that the JI will cooperate for the smooth running of affairs in the KMC City Council if the Pakistan Peoples Party presents a budget in the council and increases finances for union committees.

The JI leader expressed these views while addressing a press conference held at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi headquarters, on Friday. He was flanked by JI leaders Munim Zaffar Khan, Saifuddin Advocate, Qazi Sadaruddin, Junaid Mukati and others.

He said that despite “illegal and unconstitutional occupation of the mayor office” by the PPP, the JI would cooperate for the sake of progress and development of the mega city if the just conditions put forward by his party were accepted.

Rehman said that unfortunately the PPP had been using nefarious tactics to bypass the council apparently in order to plunder the taxpayers’ money. He added that an increase in the budget for union committees was crucial for the development of the city.

He said that even the PPP’s UC chairmen would be supporting the resolution for an increase in the UC budget. Later in the day, the JI leader visited the Arshi Plaza which was affected by an inferno earlier this week. He called on the affected families and expressed solidarity with them and assured them of full cooperation.

Talking to the media, the JI leader demanded of the government to pay compensation to the affected families of Arshi Mall and RJ Mall fires. He held the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement responsible for the tragedies, saying that they did nothing for the betterment of emergency services and civic management agencies.