The MQM-P strongly reacted against the Sindh government’s decision to grant Karachi Medical & Dental College KMDC, a status of university.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Monday strongly reacted against the Sindh government’s decision to grant Karachi Medical & Dental College KMDC, a status of university, calling it a move by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to “occupy” the urban resources and weaken the local government administration.
In a statement, the party’s coordination committee demanded immediate withdrawal of any such move and vowed that it would exercise every legal and democratic right to raise voice against the PPP government’s anti-democratic governance system.
The move, it said, reflects the feudal mindset of the Sindh government which despite promises and commitment to strengthen the local government system and enhance resources of major cities were encroaching over the institutions which were meant to be administered by the municipal authorities.
On Monday, the Sindh Assembly sent the Karachi Metropolitan University Bill to standing committee concerned despite MQM lawmakers’ opposition.
According to the Sindh government plan, the university will have faculties of basic medical sciences, medicine, surgery and allied sciences, dentistry, nursing and paramedical, pharmaceutical science, health management, community health, biomedical engineering, business administration, public administration and other faculties as may be prescribed by statutes. All properties and assets, right and interest of whatever kind, used, enjoyed, possessed, owned or vested in, or held in trust by the KMDC and ASH and all liabilities legally subsisting against them immediately before the commencement of this Act shall stand transferred to the proposed university.
Karachi Medical & Dental College, founded in 1991, is Pakistan’s first medical and dental college that is established, managed and administered by a Municipal Corporation. KMDC is affiliated with Abbassi Shaheed Hospital, one of the largest public sector hospitals in the country. The college was founded with a vision to redefine standards of medical education by introducing a test based admission. KMDC was also the first public sector medical institution to initiate an entrance test.
Originally published at Dawn