KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan has inaugurated several civic and infrastructure projects in Model Colony and Gulshan-e-Iqbal towns. He said his party alone has the capacity to carry out meaningful development in goths (rural settlements) from Karachi to Kashmore.
Five projects were inaugurated in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in just three days. Under the Model Colony Town Municipal Corporation (TMC), Monem Zafar opened 100,000 square feet of paver blocks, street lights and a 650-foot water supply line at Sindhi Noorani Masjid in Rahim Khan Jokhio Goth (UC-6). He was joined by JI Airport District Emir Muhammad Ashraf, Model Colony Town Chairman Zafar Khan and Vice Chairman Faisal Basit.
Residents and party workers gave him a warm welcome, presenting him with a traditional Sindhi ajrak and garlands. Addressing the gathering, he praised Councillor Tariq Nawaz Jokhio, social activist Tariq Mithoo and the town administration for their work in the area. He noted that the goth’s sewerage problems had been resolved before the paver blocks were laid.
“Jamaat-e-Islami believes in serving the masses without any discrimination of caste, creed or language,” he said. He added that although the provincial government was withholding development funds from the nine JI-led towns, their elected representatives were delivering more than their limited resources would suggest.
On Saturday night, Monem Zafar also inaugurated a “Model Mohalla” and the Shaheed Abdul Rehman (Mani) Family Park in Metroville Colony No. 3, Gulzar-e-Hijri (Block 4/2, UC-6), under the Gulshan-e-Iqbal TMC. District East chief Naeem Akhtar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town Chairman Dr Fawad and local organiser Nabil Farooqi also addressed the ceremony.
Speaking about the party’s three-year performance across its nine towns, he said 234 parks had been rehabilitated, 156,000 street lights installed and 20 clinics established. These include a medical centre in Shanti Nagar that charges a nominal Rs5 for treatment, even though the union committee is not held by the JI. He added that more than 38,000 citizens had benefited from primary healthcare facilities in Samanabad over the past year.
On education, he said the JI had upgraded 43 government schools, raising overall student enrolment by 40 per cent. Enrolment in Gulshan-e-Iqbal alone rose by 110 per cent. He criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led Sindh government for handing 750 public schools over to non-governmental organisations.
Slamming the provincial administration and Mayor Murtaza Wahab, he said the PPP had failed to provide basic amenities during its 18 years in power in Sindh and three years running the Karachi mayor’s office. He pointed to 18-hour power cuts, chronic water shortages and the five-year delay in completing the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. He challenged the ruling party to compete with the JI on the basis of public service.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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