KARACHI: President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi Chapter and Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Khurram Sher Zaman has said that PTI stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the distressed affectees and victims of the anti-encroachment operation in Karachi and they will make all out efforts at every forum to stop wrong activities taking place under this operation.
“Under the Supreme Court’s order, something else has begun in the city. I am waiting for the next bench of the Supreme Court on this particular issue as we have decided to approach the Court to raise voice on behalf of affectees as soon as the Chief Justice holds the hearing at Karachi Registry”, he added while speaking at a meeting during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Saturday.
Vice Chairman Businessmen Group & Former President KCCI Anjum Nisar, President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda, Senior Vice President Khurram Shahzad, Vice President Asif Sheikh Javaid, Chairman KCCI’s Special Committee for Small Traders Majeed Memon, Managing Committee members and a large number of affectees of the anti-encroachment drive attended the meeting.
MPA Khurram Sher Zaman categorically stated that PTI has got nothing to do with the anti-encroachment operation but it has been observed that KMC Staff and Drivers, who are part of the operation, were misguiding the public and sending a wrong message by using the phrase “Tabdeeli Agaee Hai” (Change is here) during the operation which has always been PTI’s slogan.
He, while totally rejecting Mayor Karachi’s false claim of being praised by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the anti-encroachment operation, reiterated that PTI and PM Imran Khan have got nothing to do with the anti-encroachment operation in which Karachiites and the business community were being victimized and harassed.
Giving a clear message to Mayor, he said, “PTI would never accept their activities and will not own them.”
He informed that he along with all other PTI MPAs in Sindh will be having a meeting with PM Imran Khan next week so that the Prime Minister could be acquainted about the issues of Karachi, particularly the wrong message being spread that all the anti-encroachment activities were being carried out under specific instructions from Prime Minister which was not factual at all.
“We have been constantly raising strong voice at every available forum against all the wrongdoings going on under the anti-encroachment operation and I am happy to see that I am not the only person who has been raising voice against the injustice as I see today, a lot of people standing beside me”, he added.
He said, “It seems that some kind of revenge is being taken from the citizens of Karachi as they densely voted in favor of PTI that resulted in the election of 30 MPAs and 14 MNAs from PTI therefore, they are punishing the entire city.”
Khurram Sher Zaman was of the view that the anti-encroachment operation was not heading in the right direction as to date, most of the roads, parks and state’s land remain largely encroached. During the anti-encroachment operation, many shops, shutters, signboards were also razed but it was a well-known fact that KMC had been collecting massive amount of taxes for signboards from all the shops since past 50 years but these shopkeepers were never made aware of the size and specification of signboards.
He said, “People who earn some money from a certain location to feed their families simply cannot be expelled. Unemployment is the biggest issue being suffered by the country therefore, we cannot afford an anti-encroachment operation which makes more people unemployed.”
Earlier, President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda, in his remarks, expressed deep concerns over the massive anti-encroachment operation in the city which was not in line with the order issued by the honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan.
He said that Karachi Chamber was constantly being approached by dozens of affectees each day who show various documents and receipts of the rent being paid to KMC for their shops with high hopes that KCCI, being the actual representative and savior of small traders in difficult times, would take up this serious issue as well with relevant authorities in order to provide relief to perturbed shopkeepers and thousands of affectees.
He said that the Karachi Chamber was not against the anti-encroachment drive which was in the larger interest of the city but this campaign should strictly remain confined to taking action against the encroachers only whereas shopkeepers with legal documents should not be victimized and harassed.
Junaid Makda was of the opinion that the Honorable Supreme Court’s Order was being misinterpreted to hide behind the curtain as many were fearing that if the situation continues to move on like this, the day will not be far when the promoters and beneficiaries of encroachments in Karachi will also be held accountable for all their wrongdoings.
It was a matter of grave concerns that massive destruction campaign all over the city was underway regardless of considering whether these activities being carried out under the anti-encroachment drive actually fall under the ambit of Supreme Court’s order or not, he added.
He was of the view that the city was undoubtedly facing serious encroachment issue that simply cannot be denied and there are a lot of illegalities as well therefore, KCCI strongly believes that the encroachment drive must go on. KCCI would never support any lawbreaker and simply cannot ask the government to ignore them as there are a lot of illegalities in this particular issue.
He requested MPA Khurram Sher Zaman to acquaint PM Imran Khan about the hardships being suffered by Karachiites so that effective strategies could be devised for relocation of genuine affectees at suitable alternative locations at the earliest. “To minimize the grievances being faced by the affectees, the Karachi Chamber is ready to play its due role and extend full cooperation to the government in the rehabilitation activities”, he added.