Waseem Akhtar to be sworn in as mayor of Karachi today
Petition to stop the proceedings today have been filed in the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court
KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Waseem Akhtar will take oath as the mayor on Tuesday in a ceremony to be held in Polo Ground where he will be shifted from Central Jail.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement, led by Dr Farooq Sattar stated that an official notification by the Election Commission was to be issued on August 29 but delay by the authorities was concerning. However, the ECP issued notifications of all the victorious chairmen and vice-chairmen in different general councils along with those of deputy mayor and the mayor around an hour before the ceremony.
Notifications of victorious candidates in District West of Karachi are yet to be issued.
On the other hand, Faisal Vawda of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf filed a plea in Sindh High Court against Akhtar’s oath-taking which was turned down today.
Meanwhile, a petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court to stop Akhtar from assuming charge as the mayor of Karachi.
The plea filed in the Supreme Court was moved by Shahid Ghouri which highlights severity of the legal cases that the fresh mayor is fighting at the moment and urges the court to bar Akhtar from taking charge of such a key position.
Akhtar was detained and shifted to jail after his plea for extension in interim bail was rejected by an anti-terrorism court in case against former petroleum minister, Dr Asim Hussain.
He was nominated in the case that was registered under terror charges in November last year at North Nazimabad Police Station.
Pak Sarzameen Party’s Anees Qaimkhani, Pakistan People’s Party’s Abdul Qadir Patel and MQM’s Rauf Siddique were among the four detainees.
He has pleaded innocence in the case and while talking to the media after election as the mayor this month, he vowed to take care of the city and attend to the issues of the locals from jail.
Akhtar s victory in the mayoral election followed the biggest blow to MQM since it was founded as its chief, Altaf Hussain was detached with the party after an anti-state speech that led to a crackdown against its illegal offices and arrest of workers who vandalised media offices on his instructions.
He demanded the Sindh Police and judiciary to provide him an office in the jail to handle city affairs.
The key accused in the terror case, Dr Asim is in custody of the police after he was arrested in August last year by Rangers from his office in Higher Education Commission.
