No-confidence move against Karachi mayor gains momentum

A political storm is brewing at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) as Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has formally set the wheels in motion for a no-confidence motion against Mayor Murtaza Wahab, with council members beginning to sign the proposal.

The move comes after Karachi’s Gul Plaza tragedy, which claimed 80 lives. JI leader Saifuddin Advocate announced plans to move a no-confidence motion against Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, holding him and the Sindh government fully responsible for what he described as continued misgovernance and repeated tragedies in the city.

Rejecting the inquiry report prepared under the supervision of the Karachi Commissioner into the Gul Plaza incident, Saifuddin Advocate termed it “bogus” and questioned the credibility of the committee. “How can those guilty of negligence conduct an impartial inquiry?” he asked.

Holding Wahab directly responsible for the tragedy, Saifuddin Advocate said that while funerals were taking place in the city, the mayor was in Islamabad attending events and inaugurating exhibitions. “When a child falls into a gutter, the mayor inaugurates a swimming pool,” he remarked.

According to sources, an emergency meeting of JI’s women councillors, led by Opposition Leader Advocate Saifuddin, was held at the opposition office in the KMC building. During the first phase, 29 women members of the city council signed the no-confidence motion, marking a significant early show of strength.

Read More: JI plans no-confidence motion against mayor

Opposition sources revealed that a meeting of JI’s parliamentary party is scheduled for February 5 at Idara Noor-e-Haq, where the next steps of the strategy will be finalised. JI currently claims the support of all 127 of its council members and is also in active contact with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) to secure broader backing.

Under the Sindh Local Government Act 2013, there is no fixed minimum number of signatures required to submit a no-confidence motion. However, opposition leaders say their aim is to submit the motion with the maximum possible support to ensure political legitimacy and smooth passage.

At present, the city council comprises 61 PTI members, 14 from PML-N, four from JUI, and two from Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). If these parties extend support, the motion is expected to pass comfortably, triggering a fresh mayoral election.

Notably, under the Local Government Act, Wahab would be ineligible to contest the re-election if the no-confidence motion succeeds. JI sources clarified that no similar move is currently under consideration against the deputy mayor. They added that the no-confidence motion is likely to be formally submitted in the city council between February 8 and 10.

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Sindh and the city governments have come under widespread criticism following the Gul Plaza inferno, which claimed 79 lives, with calls growing for the Karachi mayor to resign from his post.

Following the incident, a sharp war of words erupted between the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in Sindh, while wall chalking appeared across several neighbourhoods calling for the city to be placed under federal or military control, further heightening political tensions in the metropolis.

Members of PTI and JI staged a strong protest in the Sindh Assembly, criticising government oversight, alleging illegal constructions, and demanding accountability from the Sindh Building Control Authority over the tragedy.