Mayor is in

With the drop of a hat, the PPP has bagged the coveted Mayor-ship of Karachi. But the beginning of a new era for Karachiites has come on a nerve-wrecking pitch. The PPP-Jamaat clash is simply furthering the already existing breach, and the violence that ensued after the election of Murtaza Wahab will have long-term repercussions on the developmental mosaic of the mega-city. The Jamaat in alliance with the PTI was sure of its success, as the PPP in arithmetic seemed way behind despite its numerical majority as the single largest party. But as Machiavellian-ism would have it, some 30 elected office-bearers of PTI did not turn up on the fateful day, assuring the PPP as the prime beneficiary. This has led to allegations of horse-trading, and the Jamaat is in no mood to accept the defeat.

For many it was fait accompli, as the PPP stalwarts had hinted at a possible ‘change of heart’ in the PTI ranks, and that proved to be true. Whether the elected members had stayed out of their own will or forced to do so will be a telling tale of Caesars’ plot in days to come. The point is that it has kicked off an episode of political instability. Wahab’s clinching the slot with 173 votes with the help of his allies, the PML-N and JUIF, led to violence on the streets. The unrest will surely graduate into a pestering argument over the meddling of Sindh and federal prowess in local bodies affairs which, as per Jamaat, had converted “majority into a minority through deception”.

With the Sindh government holding the purse, and the muscles, for the city’s development, its winning has come with immense responsibilities to deliver. Karachi needs massive transformation in the spectre of governance, infrastructure and civic amenities. The metropolitan is in tatters and is devoid of any civic sense. The culmination of a prolonged and contestable ballot process, after years of turmoil, will certainly be watched and scrutinised by the 25 million Karachiites, as to what change it is breeding. Politics now must take a back seat, and development with utmost commitment must lead from the front.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2023.

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