KMC inaugurates flower show at Bagh Ibne Qasim

After a gap of 25 years, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) held the All Pakistan Flowers, Fruit and Vegetable Show on Friday at the Bagh Ibne Qasim.

The corporation has revived the show in collaboration with the Horticulture Society of Pakistan (HSP). Paying a visit to the show on its first day, Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said the KMC is the central institution of Karachi and every effort was being made to increase its resources.

“The efforts of the KMC and other organisations are commendable for giving the gift of beautiful and charming flower shows to the people of the city. The Sindh government is with KMC in these good deeds. We love the people of Karachi and want to see improvement here," the minister said as he addressed the inaugural ceremony of the show as the chief guest.

Provincial Minister for Industries Jam Ikramullah Dharejo, KMC Administrator Laeeq Ahmed, KMC Metropolitan Commissioner Syed Afzal Zaidi, HSP chief Fahim Siddiqui, representatives of the Faizan Global Foundation and Rotary Club, KMC officials and a large number of horticulturists were present on the occasion.

Nasir said he wanted the HSP to cooperate in the urban forest projects as well. He said that parks under the administrative control of the KMC, District Municipal Corporations (DMCs) and other civic bodies needed to be improved with the help of the HSP and other agencies.

UNDP Resident Representative in Pakistan Knut Ostby said that he was on an official visit to Pakistan for the first time and he was grateful to the Karachi administration for the invitation to the ceremony. He said the UNDP like other parts of Pakistan also wanted to work in Karachi and Sindh. "Tree planting is very important to deal with climate change," he said as he congratulated the KMC on organising the show.

KMC Director General Parks Taha Saleem said that for the show, a large map of Pakistan had been prepared with more than 50,000 flowers and plants in just six days. The map was made by gardeners and engineers of the KMC, he explained.