Historic pre-partition era names of roads, streets in Karachi may soon be history

Karachi, Feb 22(ANI): Pakistan's Saddar Town Municipal Administration (TMA) is replacing the pre-partition era names of roads, streets and places in the town with those of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers, who were killed while being a part of the party.

The Saddar TMA has already changed 400 names of places, roads and streets in the last four years, including the Chatumal Road, named after the famous philanthropist and politician of the city Sobhraj Chatumal.

The administration has also issued a public notice signed by the council officer of Saddar Town asking the general public to submit their objections or suggestions within 15 days against or in favour of the proposed names.

The notice said that the Saddar TMA plans to replace the names of two parks, a cricket stadium, a roundabout and a road with the name of Muhammad Khaleel Shaheed, a former MQM leader, who died in a blast in Karachi.

"They have made sacrifices and were martyred for a cause," The Daily Times quoted Nisar Khan Temuri, Saddar Town chief, as saying.

The notice also stated that the Saddar TMA is changing the names "under the powers vested to the TMAs under the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 1979".

However, Former Karachi leader Niamatullah Khan opposed the move and said there was no such power granted to the TMAs in the local government ordinance.

"Nobody can change the historical names of places, streets and roads," Khan said. (ANI)