KARACHI      -     Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Ali Zaidi and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar inaugurated Clean Karachi campaign in a public meeting in KPT head office on Sunday.

The drive is jointly carried out by KMC and federal government. It was announced that all efforts will be made to clean big drains before Eidul Azha. Federal Minister for IT and Convener of MQM Pakistan Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and deputy mayor Karachi Syed Arshad Hasan and leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi besides many MPAs and MNAs from Karachi, social workers, members of civil society, players, artists and others were also present on this occasion.

Federal Minister Ali Zaidi said that the amount collected in taxes from Karachi was transferred to Dubai last year which was the reason that this money was not seen spent on ground in Karachi and Sindh. “People ask us cleaning is a routine work, what would happen in the city once you left it cleaned up. We want to tell this after clean up the city for once that the city can be cleaned if you try it,” he added.

Zaidi said that this work was not possible without the cooperation of the mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar and its party and local government leadership that is why we are doing this jointly.

He said that the FWO will provide machinery and other help in this connection whereas about 15,000 volunteers would help the local bodies and members of the parliament whose registration underway. They will be divided into districts.

Mayor said that we asked for cooperation to the federal government due to non cooperation from the provincial government as I had no other option. With these powers and resources he could not solve the problems of Karachi. We have to work now instead of doing politics or the results would be zero. The provincial government devastated the city in last ten years and no one ask them why they did not deliver. The local bodies which are considered basic democratic institutions were never given the powers here.

The city was in very bad condition in recent rains but I had this duty only to clean the storm water drain which we did a week before and that is why no drain overflowed, the mayor added. 

He said he had submitted the account of money which was given to us for cleaning the drain on the directive of the court to the secretary local government office, and still they ask for the account, though whole country for ten years asking them to give the account. He thanked Ali Zaidi and the federal government which paid attention to Karachi. A large number of volunteers have also showed up at the event and registered them to work in the campaign.

SINDH GOVT RESPONCE

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information & Archives, Law and Anti-Corruption Barrister Murtaza Wahab in a statement on Sunday said that to blame Sindh government over falling Karachi into decay was a big funny story to cheer everyone up.

Wahab said that those behind ruining Karachi in the past were blaming others today. The adviser said that since the Mayor was incompetent to do anything that’s why he kept on holding others responsible. Mayor should have told the people of Karachi that who was preventing him from fulfilling his responsibilities, he added.

He said that no one should blame others for his incapacity. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the Karachiites could only heaved a sigh of relief, if every institution and person had fulfilled his obligations.

The adviser said that it was quite depressing that those who claimed to own the city were behind its destruction. While censuring Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi’s ‘Clean Karachi’ drive, he said that the drive was confined to photo sessions merely. He said that how he would supervise the most trumpeted ‘Clean Karachi’ drive when he was not even capable of looking after the affairs of ports and shipping appropriately. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that one should learn from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf the tactic of taking credit of the achievements of the local government institutions. Those who were claiming to clean all the drains in Karachi should know that there were 556 small and large drains in Karachi, he said.

The adviser said that by just a tweet Ali Zaidi took all the credit of the cleanliness drive carried out by DMC Keamari. He said that one could only pray for Ali Zaidi and his photo session team.