Kamal asks PM to negotiate with opposition for the sake of public

Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to negotiate with the opposition for the sake of the public.

Kamal, who is also a former mayor of Karachi, said that the federal government and the opposition have been engaged in a battle to prove each other a thief while the country and the public have been suffering because of it.

The PSP chief was speaking to the media after his hearing in an accountability court that has been trying him for allegedly facilitating the encroachment of an amenity plot in Clifton for the construction of a commercial high-rise on the piece of land.

He said the PM has disappointed the country every time he has made a public address. “We know that he has an ego problem, but for the sake of the people, he must talk to the opposition and bring reforms.” He lamented that the premier has been calling those elected by the people of this country dacoits and thieves. “It’s high time that the PM holds dialogues with the opposition, otherwise the crisis will worsen.”

Kamal demanded electoral reforms and the inclusion of a chapter on the local government system in the constitution. He said that due to a lacuna in the system, the local bodies’ representatives are not even aware of their job description.

Court appearance

Earlier, Kamal appeared before the Accountability Court III judge for the recording of evidence as the prosecution presented a witness, who is a land revenue officer, to depose against him and the other accused.

The court had framed charges against the former mayor and nine others in November 2020 for the alleged illegal allotment of over 6,000 yards for the construction of a multi-storey building.

The judge had bifurcated the case against one of the real estate developers believed to be absconding abroad, and had issued a perpetual warrant for his arrest. According to NAB, in 1982 the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had created 198 stalls and shops on two amenity plots adjacent to the Kothari Parade for dislocated hawkers, while four commercial plots, each measuring 255.55 square yards, were also created in the locality.