Poor governance : All eyes on MQM, PPP to address Karachi’s issues

With the long overdue election results now almost entirely in, it is clear that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) bagged big win in Sindh’s provincial capital but the challenges that await both parties are the same as they always have been.

Karachi seems to be engulfed in a myriad of crises relating to infrastructure, sewage, drinking water, and transportation; and both the MQM and PPP, which have been in power in the city for a significant amount of time, know so.

However, it remains to be seen whether this time around the two political parties will actually be able to address the port city’s issues. Qazi Sadruddin, an active social worker from the city, does not think that both parties have the capacity to help the metropolis. “The PPP and MQM have been in power for many years but they have not paid any attention to solving the problems of the city. I doubt if this time will be any different but one can certainly hope,” said Sadruddin.

Younis, a 55-year-old resident of the city, agrees. “I have seen multiple governments come and go but Karachi’s problems have only exacerbated.”

Younis’s simple assessment carries weight in Dr Noman Ahmed’s view, who while talking to The Express Tribune, said that the city’s sewage was poor, water lines were faulty, road network was broken, and public transportation was miniscule in number. “Those in power, both past and present, have never paid any attention to solving these problems. For instance, the city’s sewage is so broken that even the slightest bit of rain can result in flooding. One can only hope that those who have come into power now, own this city and work to solve its problems,” remarked Dr Ahmed, who is an urban planner.

Agreeing with Dr Ahmed, Iftikhar Sheikh, the President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce, said that the business community of the metropolis was also worried about the city’s state. Sheikh suggested that all the stakeholders of the city, including the businessmen, must be gathered on one platform so that they could pay attention to the problems of Karachi, especially the improvement of the city’s infrastructure.

However, to do so would require both the MQM and the PPP to get along, according to Dr Muhammad Ali, a political analyst and associate professor at the University of Karachi. “Since the PPP will be in power in the centre, in the province, and also has the mandate of local governments, the onus falls on the PPP to include the MQM and other parties as well for the betterment of the city,” opined Dr Ali.

“A hefty development package should be created for Karachi to solve infrastructure, education, health, and other problems in Karachi,” he added.

Be that as it may, Dr Osama Razi, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi, was of the view that parties which had destroyed the city could not fix it. “The PPP and MQM are responsible for the destruction of Karachi, they cannot help it now,” asserted Dr Razi while talking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2024.