Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has accused Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori of seeking to transfer powers to the mayor’s office through force rather than constitutional means.
He urged Tessori to secure Rs100 billion from the federal government and Rs175 billion for the K-IV water project. He also demanded the return of funds acquired through illegal land grabbing (China-cutting).
Speaking at the inauguration of a model park in the Metroville area of SITE on Wednesday, Wahab questioned whether the governor’s political party truly supported the Article 140-A while advocating for municipal affairs to be managed from Islamabad. He called this a contradiction and stated that he had conveyed his demands to the governor through the media.
He highlighted the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led administration’s commitment to development, announcing plans to build 50 new parks. Expressing gratitude to the people of Metroville for supporting the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), he stated that true leadership delivered on promises.
Discussing Metroville’s longstanding water crisis, he noted that water was previously supplied every three months. However, after taking charge of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), his administration took action against illegal connections and hydrants.
He assured the residents that the Hub Canal project would be completed by August, and it would benefit the general public instead of the elites.
Karachi Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad, MPA Ali Ahmed Jan, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the City Council Karamullah Waqasi, Deputy Parliamentary Leader Dil Muhammad, Muriro Mir Bahar Town Chairman Ali Akbar and others were present on the occasion.
Wahab said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah was committed to the PPP’s vision of clearing encroachments in Karachi. He also revealed plans for a sports complex in Metroville and improvements in roads and drainage systems, with Rs20 million allocated per union committee (UC). He instructed that recently distributed streetlights be installed in public areas and pledged to provide 50 warranty-backed streetlights and fumigation machines to each UC chairman before Ramazan.
He assured that by June 30, 2025, several major development projects would be completed, reaffirming the PPP’s commitment to Karachi’s progress. He also invited young professionals to use six vacant floors of Liaquatabad Supermarket for IT-related work.
The mayor condemned illegal privatisation of amusement rides in parks across Central and Korangi districts. He noted that the Red Line project would take two more years to complete and assured that efforts were under way to resolve the pensioners’ issues, with Rs750 million in outstanding payments set to be cleared soon.
He acknowledged the need for hospital improvements and announced plans to establish a NICVD centre in Baldia Town, which would also serve Keamari residents. He said work on the Karimabad Underpass was progressing rapidly and reiterated that development projects worth billions of rupees were under way in District Central. He emphasised that funds generated from road-cutting must be used immediately for road repairs.