"Demanding that Karachi be placed under federal control is not unconstitutional," Federal Minister for Education and senior MQM-Pakistan leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said on Thursday. Adding that if such debate is termed treason, then the relevant clauses should be removed from the Constitution itself. He expressed these views while answering questions from the media after a ceremony held at NED University, as part of the Prime Minister’s Laptop Program. Dr Siddiqui said the federal minister concerned had returned to the country and the matter could now be discussed at the appropriate forum. Commenting on the Gul Plaza tragedy, Dr Siddiqui said discontent over the probe report was not limited to his party. "Even the Sindh government is not satisfied with the findings," he said. Speaking about the deteriorating situation at the Federal Urdu University, he said funds had been allocated to the institution twice. An investigation report, he added, is expected soon, but the real problem lies in unwarranted interference. "People come with recommendations, and that disrupts accountability," he remarked. Regarding the unusual delay in appointing a chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad, the federal minister said the selection process was conducted in a transparent manner and a summary had already been sent to the Prime Minister. "We haven’t received it yet. We will raise the matter with the Prime Minister, as this key academic position must not remain vacant," he said. Earlier, addressing the laptop distribution ceremony, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that the benefits of democracy were now reaching Karachi. "Karachi is committed to building and supporting Pakistan. We thank the Prime Minister of Pakistan for ensuring that students in Sindh received laptops," he said. He noted that although the region had seen development over the past four decades, it was still lagging behind.
“The center must rule Karachi”
