All consulted on administrator’s appointment: Governor Imran Ismail

The appointment of senior public servant Iftikhar Ali Shallwani as Karachi’s administrator has been made after consulting with all the stakeholders, said Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Monday.

Ismail met the city administrator at the Governor House and expressed hope that Shallwani would use the best of his abilities to resolve the problems of the provincial capital.

The two men discussed the development projects being executed in Karachi, the issues of the city being resolved in this regard on preferential basis, the consumption of funds for the purpose in a transparent manner, and the involvement of all the stakeholders in the process of development and progress of the metropolis.

The governor said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a historic development package for Karachi, and the announcement would hopefully go a long way in resolving the civic problems of the city on a permanent basis.

Ismail said that the concerned residents of Karachi rightfully deserved the provision of better civic services on their doorsteps. “Never before in my life have I witnessed such serious efforts being made to resolve the issues of Karachi.”

He said that the federal and provincial governments, all the relevant civic agencies, the cantonment boards in the city and the National Disaster Management Authority were on the same page to develop Karachi.

He also said that in this regard, the newly appointed administrator was under a very important obligation to ensure that the development projects of the city were completed with the due standard and quality.

Shallwani thanked both the federal and Sindh governments for expressing their confidence in his abilities and choosing him for such an important position with regard to the development of the city. He said he would use the best of his abilities to discharge the responsibilities related to his new assignment.

Civil awards

In a ceremony held at the Governor House, Ismail conferred the coveted civil awards of the country upon nine people for their excellent services in different walks of life. The Sitara-e-Imtiaz was awarded to religious scholars Mufti Taqi Usmani and Allama Syed Razi Jafferi for public service and to the late fiction writer Ibn-e-Safi for literature.

The Tamgha-e-Imtiaz was awarded to Dr Shahnaz Parveen in the field of science, Mirza Rizwan Baig in the field of fashion designing, Fakeero in the field of sculpturing and Sanam Marvi in the field of music. The Presidential Pride of Performance Award was conferred upon Dr Zulfiqar Ali Qureshi in the field of music and Ustad Khursheed Hussain in the field of Tabla Nawazi.