The Mayor saga
Karachi Mayor’s slot is again back to arithmetic. Even five months after the elections to the local tier, Karachiites are keeping their fingers crossed. The biggest metropolitan area is in tatters and civic amenities are up for a toss. What is needed instantly is astute and responsible leadership that looks beyond the political mosaic to deliver, and retrieve the city from the abyss of hopelessness. With PPP and Jamaat both staking claims to the coveted office, it seems politics of convenience will finally seal the deal. As of today, the PPP is the single largest party and with the support of its allies has touch-based the figure of 176, whereas the Jamaat that trails second with 130 votes could turn the tables, if 63 PTI members come their way. With 184 needed to grab the high office, it’s an open and shut case of who pulls the strings for whom.
The PPP has nominated Murtaza Wahab for mayor-ship, who will be in a tooth-and-nail with Jamaat’s heavyweight Naeem-ur-Rehman. Both the candidates enjoy a great deal of respect in the mega-city by virtue of their relentless campaigning for civic affairs. But given the contested environment on political lines, the winner will be the one who manages to have ‘ayes’ on the fateful day on the floor of the house. With bickering at its peak, and turmoil in the PTI’s ranks, the PPP’s claim that many of PTI members will come its way cannot be ruled out. This erstwhile trend of horse-trading which the local government of Karachi will once again experience is likely to steal development, and throw open the local tiers in pursuit of behind-the-curtain deals. That would be a nightmare for Karachiites.
A common denominator is in need of being struck. All the major electable parties for the sake of the city and its 25 million populace must pool together their synergies and agree for a consensual candidate, or even sign off on nominees from both the PPP and the Jamaat as mayor and deputy mayor, respectively. This is utterly required for civic tranquility, transparency and undeterred development. Politics can take a back seat for a while.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2023.
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