Waseem Akhtar vows to take all parties on board

MQM’s candidate for mayorship says he wants PPP, PTI, JI,

ANP to work with him for city’s welfare

Karachi

Waseem Akhtar, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s nominated mayor of Karachi, said on Friday that his party’s victory in the recent local government polls in the city was the success of all other parties including the Pakistan People’s Party, the Tehreek-e-Insaf, the Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Awami National Party, and he would like to take all of them on board for addressing the metropolis’ problems.

Akhtar, accompanied by Dr Farooq Sattar, returned to the city from London on Friday afternoon and was accorded a warm welcome by MQM activists and supporters.

Akhtar was in London when the party announced his nomination as the mayor and Arshad Vohra as his deputy after a secret ballot.

Talking to reporters, Akhtar said that he and the deputy mayor would try their best to fulfill their duties.

He asked the PPP, the PTI, and JI to work with him to restore Karachi’s past glory.

Replying to question about the stripping away of the mayor’s powers, he said the party would soon chalk out a strategy and move the court for this purpose.

“The elections were held on the Supreme Court’s order and we hope that the judiciary will also restore the mayor’s powers,” he added,

Akhtar said that he would serve all ethnic and linguistic communities living in Karachi.

“Karachi is a cosmopolitan city with people belonging to different ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups living in it,” he noted. “I will be the mayor of the entire Karachi, and serve everyone without any discrimination.”

He said the city was plagued by different problems and he would try to improve its law and order situation and address civic issues including water shortage, transportation woes and dilapidated roads.

Akhtar also said that MQM activists were the backbone of the party and he would ensure that their sentiments were not hurt.