Karachi belongs to PTI — we got the most votes: Asad Umar

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said on Friday that Karachi does not "belong" to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement but to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, as the latter gained more votes from the metropolis in the general elections of 2018 than any other party.

The federal minister was speaking to reporters in the port city on Friday afternoon when he said: “We [the PTI] are working for the people of Karachi,” with MQM as a partner.

After an earlier meeting with MQM-Pakistan leaders, Asad Umar had claimed that progress had been made in talks with the key ally.

“Both PTI and MQM-P are striving for development projects for Karachi and it is a stark reality that what the mega-city deserves is not being given to it,” he told the media.

'Utilising federal development budget'

The ruling PTI is making hectic efforts to persuade the disgruntled MQM-P to rejoin the federal cabinet.

MQM-P had in January announced it would quit the cabinet over ‘unfulfilled promises’.

Umar, who has previously led the finance ministry, also said that he had met with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials during his visit to Karachi.

Read more:Asad Umar claims progress in talks with MQM-P

"The IMF team emphasised on entirely utilising the federal development budget," said Umar.

Speaking on the prevalent coronavirus issue, the federal minister said that it was too early to comment on the impact of the virus on the pace of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Specific narrative against govt being created

Later in the day, Umar appeared on Geo News' programme Naya Pakistan, where he said a specific narrative against the incumbent government was being created. "Development work in the first six monthsis slow; any government that comes into power … its money is spent on the prev government's projects," he added.

He said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team talked about the country's development budget as well as the Ehsaas Programme. Meetings with the organisation's delegation were underway and details of the new policy would be known by end of the current week, he added.

The minister noted that immediate action was required, especially in light of what people were going through. "Discussions are going on over how to provide relief to the public," he said.

Addressing the wheat issue, Umar said the grain had been sent to Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He admitted that wheat prices were still high but "we are working on that", he added.

"The Sindh government had to purchase 750,000 tonnes of wheat but it did not buy a single tonne," he said, adding, however, that there was no reason for an increase in electricity prices.

"Whoever works against the law, [Prime Minister] Imran Khan will not take into considering who that is," he said, referring to how the government's focus was on law being equal for everyone.