KDA's cash crunch fails to stop perks for favoured officials

At the cash-strapped Karachi Development Authority (KDA), the wait for pensions and retirement dues continues for former employees, even as serving officials appear to have secured a generous share of the financial pie.

Two official orders granting special salary increments to dozens of officers have surfaced, raising questions about the authority's priorities at a time when it relies on Sindh government grants to meet salaries and operational expenses.

The first order, dated September 7, 2026, approved four advance increments for Riyaz Ahmed Rashid, the senior personal secretary to the director general, effective July 1, 2026. The approval was granted on the stated grounds of his performance in accounts and exceptional work, according to the document.

Sources alleged that the decision was among the special favours extended by former KDA director general Asif Jan Siddiqui before his departure. The four increments, they said, had drawn particular attention given the authority's financial difficulties and the outstanding dues of retired employees.

A second order, dated March 16, 2026, reportedly granted two increments each to 24 officials on the recommendation of the then member administration. The list includes former member administration and current Senior Director Master Plan Muhammad Shakeel Ahmed Siddiqui, former Secretary Arshad Khan, Senior Director Land Management Jameel Ahmed and Director Finance and Accounts Nasir Khan.

Other officials named in the order include Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Naveed Anwar Siddiqui, Kashif Siddiqui, Syed Atif Hussain Naqvi, Muhammad Meraj, Mir Imran Jokhio, Syed Shah Muhammad Arif, Muhammad Zubair, Nadeem Shabbir, Nadeem Taj, Nasir Saleem Siddiqui, Syed Arif Abbas, Hamza, Muhammad Atif, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Ali Khan, Arsalan Shariq, Muhammad Kamran and Syed Shujaat Hussain, among others.

The order reportedly cites the officials' contribution to increasing the authority's revenue through public auctions conducted in 2025 as the justification for the additional increments.

Both orders base the benefits on performance, with the increments reportedly incorporated into the recipients' salaries, increasing their monthly earnings.

The approvals have raised concerns about financial discipline and the equitable distribution of benefits within an organisation facing persistent resource constraints. While the authority depends on government grants to cover its running costs, retired employees continue to await pensions and other post-retirement payments.

The contrast between the reported salary benefits for serving officers and the financial difficulties faced by pensioners has brought the authority's spending priorities under scrutiny.

The circumstances surrounding the approvals, including their financial implications and the criteria used to award the additional increments, warrant clarification from the KDA administration. The authority's response to the allegations was not available at the time of filing this report.