CJP has voiced sentiments of Karachiites, says Mustafa Kamal

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed has voiced the sentiments of

the people of Karachi, said Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday.

“The PSP has been pointing out similar issues for the past four years,” said the PSP chief while talking to party workers. "The Pakistan Peoples Party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan are all part of different tiers of governments. Only the PSP is playing the role of genuine opposition in the province”.

He reiterated his demand that the prime minister and the army chief should meet the Sindh chief minister in presence of media to resolve the problems of Karachi.

“They should ensure that the powers conferred on the chief ministers after the promulgation of the 18th constitutional amendment must be transferred to the district level”, he said.

Kamal also demanded the launch of the provincial finance commission (PFC). He said Karachi should be restored as one district which the PPP had divided into six districts. The PSP supremo rejected the narrative that “nothing can be done on the part of the federation after the 18th constitutional amendment”.

A day earlier, the Supreme Court had observed that mafias were financing the governments as they knew no action would be taken against them due to monetary benefits they gave to the governments.

Hearing petitions against illegal encroachments on public parks, amenity lands, revival of the Karachi Circular Railways and unauthorized multi-storey buildings in Karachi, a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, took exception to the lack of administration and poor governance in Karachi, and observed that the government’s writ did not seem to exist in Karachi.

The court observed that mafias were operating without any fear of the government writ, and government functionaries were reluctant to take any action against them as they knew that they would stop their financing and monetary benefits.