Karachi’s population slashed by seven mln in census, claims PSP chief

Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal on Sunday claimed that the latest census in Sindh province has slashed Karachi’s population by seven million.

Addressing participants of a party rally at Liaquatabad Flyover, Kamal alleged that only the population of the port city was shown to be less while the rural population count was kept intact.

He also said that the population of the city was being pushed towards a “deep gorge”, which was unacceptable to him and his party.

On the occasion, Kamal also tried to bag the support of the local population by making a few demands from the government on behalf of the port city’s population. He said, “Youth belonging to the provincial metropolis should be given government jobs and all local bodies should be brought under the control of the local government.”

He also demanded the formation of Karachi Metropolitan Police while urging the mayor to properly use his powers for the betterment of the people.

While suggesting a plan for restructuring the city on administrative lines, the PSP chief called for the immediate formation of a finance commission and separation of the city’s master plan department from the building control authority.

He called on the quarters concerned to add the seven million missing Karachites to the official population count, but vowed not to go against the state and its pillar under any circumstances. He also called for a ban on the movement of heavy transport inside the provincial metropolis.

On the other hand, Karachi Deputy Mayor Arshad Vohra said on the occasion that the mayor had topped the list of the most corrupt officials as people continued complaining about the lack of power in the city.

He criticised the leadership of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and said that the MQM justified its politics in the name of Karachi. Hinting towards rifts within the MQM-P, Vohra said, “One cannot expect from the MQM to solve the problems of the people when their top leadership cannot even sit down together under one roof.”

Earlier in the day, preparations were completed for the PSP rally and all roads leading to the site were blocked for traffic and pedestrians. Seating capacity for 35,000 people was also ensured at the venue and a 30-feet long stage was also set-up. Party workers had also set-up camps at different locations of the city.

Talking to reporters, PSP leader Anees Qaimkhani said that the Liaquatabad rally would be the biggest rally in the history of the city.

During December 21 press conference, Kamal had announced to hold the rally. He had said that the city was facing many problems which were being ignored by the local and the provincial governments.

Urging the Sindh government to correct its statistics, Kamal said that the daily water demand of the city was 1,240 million gallons, while the figure quoted by the Sindh chief minister was 600 million gallons less than the required amount.