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Former Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan has said that he is considering a return to Karachi’s politics.
In a joint conversation with The News and Geo, Ebad discussed his future plans and views about the current turmoil in Pakistani politics, particularly in Karachi.
He said that he might return to politics as some “prominent political players and Karachi stakeholders” have approached him.
However, the former governor refused to open up about the proposals and promises that have been put before him. He, instead, steered the conversation to his tenure as the longest-serving governor of Sindh.
Dr Ebad said the Karachi operation got the full support of the Centre as soon as the PML-N formed its government in 2013. He said that he, himself, also supported the operation against hardcore criminals, even though it brought him out of his own party’s good books at the time.
He stressed the importance of developing the city’s infrastructure, adding that he took advantage of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s passion for development projects.
Dr Ebad said: “In one meeting, I told Mian Sahib that you are not only the prime minister of Punjab but Pakistan and that Karachi also deserves a mass transit system,” he said.
“He asked me to meet him again. In the next meeting, he got convinced and immediately approved the Greenline, M-9 Motorway, and Malir Expressway and the work started. His support for the Karachi operation and development was decisive,” he added.
Talking about more recent developments in Pakistan’s politics Ebad said that he believes that every party has failed to deliver anything to Karachiites, resulting in a political vacuum.
“Despite PTI having a majority of seats in Karachi, unfortunately, they have failed to meet public expectations,” he said.
Dr Ebad doesn’t pitch himself as the leader of the MQM-Pakistan or any other party but strongly believes that things need to change otherwise, they will get out of control.
“The current geopolitical situation demands that the political vacuum in Karachi be addressed, otherwise, the Afghan crises and anti-state elements can give rise to instability and create a law and order situation in Karachi.
