Karachi relief package is like giving biryani to labourers instead of paying wages: Mustafa Kamal

Karachi is Pakistan’s economic jugular that feeds the whole country and therefore it should be given its due monetary share, not only relief packages, said Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal on Friday.

Talking to a delegation of the business community at his party’s central office, Kamal said that giving a relief package to Karachi, which is the revenue engine of the country, is like handing over a box of biryani to the labourer instead of paying him his wages.

“To solve the socio-economic and administrative issues of Karachi, the PSP has presented a six-point plan that is the only solution to get Pakistan's economic lifeline out of crises,” he said.

Kamal said Karachiites needed to be counted properly, as according to the superior court and former president Asif Zardari, the population of Karachi was more than the mentioned numbers in the census. “Sample auditing can be performed with just a signature of the prime minister of Pakistan.”

Instead of districts, cities, towns and UCs becoming autonomous through the 18th constitutional amendment, he said instead the chief ministers had become autonomous and “there is no legal binding on them to devolve resources and authority without prejudice to all districts, cities, towns and union councils”.

“The federal government should immediately launch the PFC award on the style and formula of the NFC so that powers and resources can be transferred to district, city, town and UC level,” said Kamal. He demanded that the Sindh chief minister's 2013 decision should be annulled and the Master Plan Department be separated from the Sindh Building Control Authority and restored to its original status of an independent and autonomous body. “Karachi should be restored to one district and 18 towns.”

He hoped that the prime minister would not return to Islamabad just after announcing a relief package for Karachi but would also take practical steps to give Karachi its due share.

Due to the incompetence of the provincial and local governments, he said Karachiites, particularly the business community, had been severely affected by the flooding drains and overflowing gutters as a result of the recent rains. “Business items worth billions of rupees were damaged in every market of Karachi.”

Since this loss was due to the incompetence of the government, businessmen should be compensated immediately, he demanded. The delegation apprised the PSP of the problems of the business community and appreciated the efforts of the PSP foundation during heavy rains in Karachi.