‘If elected, JI to serve city without discrimination on ethnic basis’

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Peoples Party have been enjoying their rule under a package deal, whereas the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Isaf also enjoyed power in the Centre for over three years, but all the three parties did nothing for Karachi except for paying lip service.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said this on Friday while addressing a corner meeting during his visit to various areas of District Keamari. He said that at the time of elections, efforts were made to induce polarisation by telling the Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi and Urdu speakers and other groups that they belonged to a particular party because that party represented their community.

The traditional dynastic political parties had made it a custom to gain political advantage by creating divisions in society on the basis of ethnic grounds, and in this way, the corrupt political parties sheltered their incompetence and corruption under the smoke of ethnic tensions. He said the JI had broken the trend and taken all the people of Karachi on board without any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed and color. He vowed that if the JI won the local government elections, it would usher in a new era of progress and development in the city.

He remarked that the ruling parties in Karachi's political arena had nothing substantial to offer to the people of the city as the focus of their leadership was only monetary and political benefits, not the development of the city. As a result, he said, the city of lights had turned into ruins. He added that the city lacked transportation system, its water supply was ruined, roads broken, and policing and all public departments, including health and education, had become corrupt to their core.

Rehman said the JI served the city when it had the city's mayorship and also when it had no power. He added that the party voiced the citizens’ concerns and campaigned for the rights of the public.

The JI bestowed the city with K-I, K-II, and K-III water projects, a network of public sector educational institutes and health facilities, 50 major roads among a net of roads across the city, model parks in all towns, fleets of public transport buses and uncountable other projects, he said as he urged the people to vote for the JI on the local government elections on August 28.