The mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, said on Wednesday that even RS200 billion would be insufficient for the development of the city and emphasized the need for federal support, while resorting to any comment on Punjab could bother Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new CATH laboratory at the Karachi Institute for Heart Diseases, Wahab said the installation had already performed three operations from the morning. He pointed out that the laboratory would relieve pressure on patients in federal B area that previously had to travel to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.
The mayor said that criticism by itself did not solve problems, adding that Karachi’s problems required substantial financial resources. “If I don’t look for the help of Karachi’s prime minister, who should?” He said, he added that an assignment of RS20 billion was inadequate.
He stressed that even RS200 billion would fall short, and that Karachi deserved his legitimate part. “If a company is established for the development of Karachi, there should be no objections. I want my city to obtain its due rights,” Wahab said.
When commenting on Punjab, Wahab commented: “If I say something about Punjab, Maryam Bibi will get angry. He has talked about water problems and channels, and Punjab people are in difficulty. It is our duty to relieve their problems.”
Wahab also promised a strict action against corruption within the institutions of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, stating that public money belonged to citizens. He cited measures to improve medical care facilities under public-private associations, including free tests with new equipment in Spencer Eye Hospital, where 200 surgeries were carried out in two and a half months.
The mayor announced plans to install new machinery in the hospitals and inaugurate a new block at the Abbasi Shaheed hospital at the end of this month, despite political obstacles.
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Separately, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said that Pakistan’s Popular Party (PPP) should avoid guilt games and, if you seek competition, it must be based on performance.
Speaking on a private television program, AZMA said the PPP fears the impressive performance of Punjab Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz. He added that the Allied Construction Council is welcome, but PPP has chosen politics instead of offering significant suggestions.
Azma emphasized that Punjab does not depend on foreign aid and questioned why the pressure is being created unnecessarily. She criticized interference in provincial administrative matters, saying that it is inappropriate to politicize humanitarian problems.
He recalled that when Sindh faced floods, Punjab abstained political statements, but the PPP is now dedicated to scoring help efforts in Punjab.
The minister said that the coalition between the Pakistan-Nawaz Muslim League (PML-N) and the PPP is delivering stability and progress, but warned that the competition must continue to be promoted by performance instead of accusatory.
