While the federal government should by all means offer support to Sindh in order to run Karachi, they should not attempt to take over complete control of the city and micro-manage it. The federal government and other institutions have apparently spoken up because the Sindh administration has miserably neglected Karachi over its decade-plus rule in the province. By taking over nearly all civic functions, the Sindh government tends to act like a glorified municipality while leaving the MQM-dominated KMC with few powers. However, it is also true that KMC makes very little effort to exercise whatever powers are available with it.
A meeting was held on Saturday night at the Governor House in Karachi where representatives of the PPP, PTI and MQM agreed to form a committee in order to discuss the multiple issues that plague Karachi. But on Sunday, the Sindh information minister issued a cautious statement saying that running Karachi is “the responsibility of the provincial government”. Furthermore, on Monday, in an apparent reference to efforts made by the federal government to play a greater role in Karachi’s affairs, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was far more blunt. “Under no condition would Sindh share powers with anyone,” he warned.
The harsh reality is that no committee, pressure group or NGO can run Karachi. This is a task only an elected and empowered local government can do, with the provincial and federal governments offering substantial support. If the PPP is sincere about its wish to improve Karachi and honour the principle of devolution then they need to amend the Sindh local bodies law so that all civic functions are returned to the third tier, and new elected municipalities can get to work.
Kanwal Ali
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2020.
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