Summary Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab challenges Mustafa Kamal to debate, highlights development projects and defends PPP-led infrastructure initiatives.
KARACHI (Dunya News) - Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has challenged Mustafa Kamal to a public debate, saying he is ready whenever the MQM leader calls for one.
Murtaza Wahab inaugurated a restored park and IT centre in Shadman Town, a project completed at a cost of Rs145 million. He said a garbage dumping site had been transformed into a park covering more than one acre.
The park has been equipped with modern facilities, including a children’s play area, swings, grass and more than 100 newly planted trees and plants.
The mayor said an IT centre had also been established alongside the park, where free IT courses, including artificial intelligence training, would be offered to help young people acquire modern skills and access employment opportunities.
He said the IT sector was providing some of the best employment opportunities worldwide and that the Karachi administration also wanted to create dignified earning opportunities for freelancers.
According to Wahab, the IT centre covers 180 square metres and includes eight rooms, an office, store, kitchen and washrooms. The project also included electricity and water connections for the park and IT centre, as well as linking the sewerage system to the external network.
Wahab said similar parks would be developed in every district of Karachi. He added that development work was progressing rapidly and a new phase of projects would begin from September 15, including construction of roads in the towns.
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The mayor claimed that Karachi’s infrastructure was improving and residents were increasingly receiving modern facilities. He said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had the required resources and powers and that there was no longer any need to complain about a lack of authority or funds.
“Only leadership makes the difference,” Wahab said, adding that Karachi was now being led by its own people and that the Pakistan Peoples Party had fulfilled its promises while development work would continue.
Responding to Mustafa Kamal’s statements, Wahab said he remained active in the field while Kamal held press conferences from an air-conditioned room and visited Karachi only one day a week.
Wahab said he did not expect support from political opponents, adding that political rivalry was part of democratic history. He said Karachi residents did not want a city associated with shutdowns, violence and coercive politics, and declared that “wheel-jam” protests would no longer work.
Addressing Kamal directly, Wahab challenged him to produce documents showing approval of Rs300 billion and explain when and by which council the amount had been approved.
The Karachi mayor also said Kamal became angry too quickly and advised him, as health minister, to take care of his own health. He added that the MQM and PPP had fundamentally different political approaches.
