KARACHI: Sindh government spokesperson Sadia Javed has said that those demanding the “key to Karachi” are seeking to push the city back into division and linguistic politics, in remarks widely seen as directed at the MQM-Pakistan, though she did not name the party.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Javed said those raising slogans for the city’s “key” and calling for new towns and administrative divisions should understand that Karachi’s residents will no longer be swayed by political pressure.
She said such demands were, in reality, aimed at reviving the declining political fortunes of those making them and securing an advantage ahead of the next local government elections.
Sadia Javed said that those lecturing on the local government system should first answer questions about their own record as city mayors and the financial matters associated with their tenures.
She said anyone dreaming of dividing Sindh should be reminded that the province’s unity and boundaries are indivisible, and said that those offering their own interpretations of Article 140-A and related court rulings needed to revisit their legal understanding, maintaining that the Sindh government was fulfilling its constitutional obligations.
Development record defended
On Karachi’s development, the spokesperson said the Sindh government had allocated development and mega-projects worth trillions of rupees to the city, and that staged photo sessions and political packaging of such projects would not alter the facts on the ground.
She asked those criticising Sindh’s budget allocations to first account for what they had practically delivered for Karachi during their time as part of federal governments.
The Sindh government spokesperson said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) believes in balanced development across both urban and rural Sindh, and is channelling resources to districts and local bodies throughout the province.
She said the people of Karachi were politically aware and could not be misled further through the politics of hatred, linguistic division or claims of deprivation, adding that invoking the military and state institutions for political ends was an “old script” that would no longer work.
It is pertinent to mention here that the remarks by Sadia Javed came amid the broader national debate over new provinces and administrative units sparked by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s July 30 comments in Karachi, which have since drawn reactions from figures including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah, ANP’s Aimal Wali Khan, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza.
