Karachi: Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM’s) Waseem Akhtar was elected Karachi’s mayor on Wednesday.
“Let bygones be bygones,” said Akhtar while addressing media after the elections concluded. “It’s enough, we have fought enough and enough blood has been spilt, we need to stop that and we want to follow the guidelines of [founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali] Jinnah.”
Karachi’s newly-elected mayor vowed to work alongside other political parties to solve the issues facing the metropolis. “I am not a mayor of MQM. I will work for Karachi, I am Karachi’s mayor.”
During his speech, Akhtar requested Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah to help and guide him. Referring to DG Rangers, Akhtar reiterated his support for the ongoing operation in the city, and said “there are elements who want to derail peace of Karachi”.
Akhtar, who was brought under heavy police escort to cast his vote, claimed all cases against him are politically motivated and there is no evidence against him.
Karachi’s newly-appointed mayor also claimed that if the cases pending against him were addressed in a court of law, he would be set free. “Keep filling cases against me, I will face all of them,” said Akhtar.
He requested the chief minister of the province to provide him an office within the premises of his prison, to facilitate him in running the city’s affairs from behind bars. Akhtar was arrested last month on suspicion of aiding alleged militants, and arrived at the British-era Karachi Metropolitan Corporation building in an armoured police vehicle to cast his vote in the final round of elections, which sees his party in an unassailable lead.
Akhtar and Arshad Vohra had a strong position in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) council that comprises 320 seats. The joint opposition fielded Pakistan Peoples Party’s Karamullah Waqasi for the mayor’s slot and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Amanullah Afridi as deputy mayor. The city picked its mayor almost eight months after the much anticipated local government elections, which took place on December 5, 2015.