KARACHI - Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Asad Umar said on Friday that Karachi did not “belong” to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), but to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as the latter gained more votes from the metropolis in the general elections of 2018 than any other party.
Speaking to reporters in the port city the federal minister said, “We [the PTI] are working for the people of this city with MQM as a partner.”
After an earlier meeting with MQM-Pakistan leaders, Asad had claimed that progress had been made in talks with the key ally.
“Both PTI and MQM-P are striving for development projects for Karachi, and it is a stark reality that what the mega-city deserves is not being given to it,” he told the media.
The ruling PTI is making hectic efforts to persuade the disgruntled MQM-P to rejoin the federal cabinet.
MQM-P had in January announced it would quit the cabinet over ‘unfulfilled promises’.
Asad Umar, who had previously led the finance ministry, also said that he had met with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials during his visit to the port city. “The IMF team emphasized on entirely utilizing the federal development budget,” said Asad. Speaking on the prevalent Coronavirus, the federal minister said that it was too early to comment on the impact of the virus on the pace of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Karachi to get Rs35b development projects this year, says Asad
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Asad Umar on Friday said that the federal government will spend Rs35 billion on various development projects in the provincial capital this year.
Talking to journalists, Asad said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was committed to uplifting the living standards of people in the port city. He said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) was a key government ally in Sindh, adding that the federal government was working on uplift projects in consultation with its allied parties.
The minister said that the provincial government did nothing for the city. He vowed to allocate more funds for the port city in the next budget.
