Karachi belongs to PTI, not MQM: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiative Asad Umar said that under special directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the federal government was fully committed to meet the target of expenditures of development funds under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2019-20.

Speaking to the media, the federal minister said: “We [the PTI] are working for the people of Karachi, with the MQM-P as a partner.”

“The target of spending Rs 701 billion on the development projects will be fully met at any cost as the PM has issued clear direction in this regard and I have also conveyed my clear direction to the ministry to meet the target,” the minister said while briefing the media here.

The sources said that giving breakup of previous years, Asad Umar said that during the years 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19, the expenditures ratio remained 96%, 86%, 92%, 66%
and 83% respectively.

Responding to a question about development projects in Karachi, Asad Umar said the metropolis was city of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf and the impression that PTI government was fast tracking the projects in Karachi under pressure of MQM was completely wrong.

He said no doubt MQM was PTI’s allied party but PTI was much more concerned for the socio economic development of people of Karachi where hundreds of thousands of PTI voters were living.

Asad Umar says, Khalid Maqbool is stiff on his stance of not backing on his decision

Asad Umar has taken oath as the minister for planning development and reforms on Nov 19 of the last year.

As per details, President Arif Alvi administered the oath to the PTI lawmaker in Islamabad.

Previously held by   Khusro Bakhtiar, the ministry of planning development and reforms will now be led by Umar who decided left the federal cabinet in April after he was removed as the finance minister. At the time, he was offered the post of energy ministry by Prime Minister Imran Khan.