In the wake of heavy losses amid torrential rains, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has demanded that Karachi be declared a disaster-hit area and taxes be exempted.
MQM-Pakistan leader Dr Farooq Sattar, Syed Aminul Haq, Ali Khurshidi and MPAs held a press conference at the MQM’s temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad on the current situation in the metropolis on Wednesday.
Talking to the media, Sattar said that the government’s callousness has restricted the citizens to their homes, adding the Pakistan People’s Party-led provincial and city governments should admit their failures. He claimed that MQM-P leadership and activists remained on ground to help citizens who were stranded on the clogged roads for hours.
The sense of insecurity among the citizens was seen to a greater extent during the rain spell, said the MQM-P leader, adding if a just system is established in Karachi, it is not a big deal to maintain a proper drainage system. He questioned how long the PPP will deceive people of Karachi with lame excuses.
Despite usurping the resources and powers of the province, the provincial government has left the citizens of Karachi helpless, he said. He demanded that Karachi be declared a disaster-hit area and it be exempted from all federal and provincial taxes.
Sattar said Karachi has been grappling with host of issues despite numerous resources, adding the city’s drainage system can withstand 400mm of rain if drains are properly cleaned. He claimed that the Sindh government had collected Rs22 trillion in 17 years, but it did not spend even Rs22. “Where are Jamaat-e-Islami and PTI in the whole situation?,” he asked.
The MQM-P leader said the rain emergency organisation is dysfunctional despite several advisories of heavy rains in the city. The provincial government has practically separated Karachi from Sindh through its apathy towards the problems of the city. He further questioned on proceeds received from the NDMA as rain relief fund.
