The mayor of Karachi, Wasim Akhtar, said Thursday that his support will continue with the federal government in matters related to the city, as long as the steps taken are within the limits of the Constitution.
Akhtar's comments come a day after federal law minister Dr. Farogh Naseem revealed that the federal government was considering taking over the administrative affairs of Karachi by applying a constitutional clause that he believes allows it.
When addressing an event, the mayor of the city today extended his support to any constitutional step that was to improve the metropolis.
"Karachi provides income to the entire country. Here live more than 30 million people, there are two ports in the country and this city is recognized in the world."
"If this city is neglected, it doesn't send a good message to the whole country. People come from all over the country looking for business opportunities and jobs, it is ruining that."
On Wednesday, Dr. Naseem had told him Sunrise that a "strategic committee" in Karachi was going to recommend Prime Minister Imran Khan to invoke article 149 for the Karachi uprising.
Read: PM forms a committee to address the misery of Karachi
"After obtaining the approval of the cabinet, the provision will be exercised and, in case of any resistance shown by the provincial government, we will approach the Supreme Court in accordance with Article 184 (1) of the Constitution to seek a directive in this regard. If the province still shows reluctance, we will file a petition for contempt in the SC, "he had said.
The minister had also told the news channels that at this time it was his personal opinion that the center should take over Karachi affairs. He added that any decision could be made by Prime Minister Imran during his visit to the metropolis on September 14.
The law minister, who is an MQM-P senator, spoke with different news channels and said that the situation in Karachi demanded that the federal government play its role in solving people's problems without imposing government or emergency of the governor.
"I don't know if the federal government will accept my suggestion, but in my opinion there is no solution other than this [imposition of Article 149(4)] given that other steps are extreme, "he said, referring to the governor's rule and the emergency declaration.
He noted that Article 149 (4) was an independent article, which had been retained by PPP and PML-N when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was approved. He thought that this article was not against provincial autonomy.
Article 149 (4) says: "The executive authority of the federation shall also extend to instruct a province as to how the executive authority thereof shall be exercised in order to prevent any serious threat to peace. or the tranquility or economic life of Pakistan or any part thereof. "
Following the news of the federal government's considerations regarding the city, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani also joined the debate on Wednesday night and said Article 149 (4) should be applied in Punjab or in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the situation of law and order and the economy were "Not so good compared to Sindh."
He added that there was no need to enforce the article in Sindh, where, he said, the situation is much better than in other parts of the country.
According to the recently published findings of the Global Habitability Index, Karachi is the fifth worst city in the world to live.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1504798/mayor-karachi-voices-support-for-federal-govts-steps-within-constitutional-limits
