When will the fate of Karachi change?

The city of Karachi on the coast of the Arabian Sea, which is often called the economic hub of Pakistan or simply the economic aorta, is both lucky and unlucky at the same time. Another thing is that the period of misfortune is longer.

Karachi is my city and hundreds of thousands of people like me, who opened their eyes in this city, came to the world, took their first breath in its atmosphere and will probably make their last journey here. For all of us especially and for all those people in general who migrated to Karachi in search of a better future from other cities of Pakistan and then this city adopted them and they adopted this city in such a way that the difference between their parents was erased. The situation in Karachi has turned into a tragedy, which is obviously very painful.

Karachi's heyday was when all its residents were just 'Karachiwala' beyond the boundaries of colour, race, religion and caste. At that time, Karachi was a city full of life and livable lights, from clear mornings to bright evenings and bright nights.

As time changed, Karachi's fortunes turned upside down and instead of a modern city, Karachi began its journey to become a ruin and a 'trash'.

As the population increased, the infrastructure built for the population of thousands began to be burdened. In the beginning it is easy to stop anything, but if something gains momentum, then it becomes difficult to restrain it. Something similar happened with the problems of Karachi.

As the population of thousands changed into millions, the shape of the city also began to change. Residential settlements appeared along and above the canals and soon the garbage heaps and filth became part of the new urban landscape.

Dilapidated infrastructure and lack of basic amenities took Karachi by storm. This backward journey on the slope could have been stopped but in the war of politics and interests, Karachi lost and its people wept. For the people living here, the situation has gone from bad to worse and now it is the situation that according to Sahir Ludhianvi, 'Not even your grief, your quest is not there'.

If we take the existing transport system in Karachi as an example, unlike other modern cities of the world, instead of reaching the bullet train or underground metro by bus and tram, it has stopped at the 'Ching Chi' rickshaw.

All these things, rather wounds, were fresh because these days there is a big buzz of municipal elections in the city. Everywhere, as always, there is such a noise of slogans, promises and claims that the ear cannot hear a sound.

No sane person can dispute that a city whose population now exceeds that of many countries in the world needs a modern system like any other cosmopolitan city. A system that is in London, a system that is in Istanbul.

Strengthening of local bodies, autonomy of city government and administration and devolution of powers to the lower level is the means to solve all the problems of the city but this simple and basic thing is actually the cause of conflict.

The ruling circles are in no way ready to give Karachi its rightful right and the citizens the facilities they are entitled to as citizens of Pakistan. The city that contributes the most to the country's economy is a golden bird, but those who benefit from this bird are not ready to take care of it.

Municipal elections in Sindh, including Karachi, were postponed due to rain. If the city had an organised local government system, the rain would not be a nuisance instead of a blessing. Neither the streets of the city become ponds, nor the low-lying settlements come under water. Despite the rain, normal life went on with minor fluctuations and there was no need to postpone the date of municipal elections.

In the past, when the local representatives had the opportunity, they tried to work for the betterment of the city, some less and some more.

Jamshed Nusserwanjee was the first mayor of Karachi who became the head of the local government in 1933. Glimpses of the development work done in Karachi during his time are still visible today.

Abdul Sattar Afghani, who belonged to Jamaat-e-Islami, was the mayor who was born in Lyari and continued to live there even after becoming mayor. Afghani Sahib gave Lyari General Hospital to the city, which is a major source of treatment for common people.

The then MQM's Farooq Sattar became the mayor in 1988 and started leasing slums in the city.

The system of city district government in Karachi was introduced in 2001. Nimatullah Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami was elected as the first Nazim under this system. Construction of various flyovers started and Karachi Institute of Heart Disease was also built during Nimatullah Khan's tenure.

In 2005, MQM's Mustafa Kamal started building underpasses at a fast pace and single-free corridors at various points in the city.

In 2015, Waseem Akhtar, who belonged to the MQM, became the mayor of Karachi but spent his entire time complaining about lack of powers. In 2011, the Sindh government took over the administration from the city government.

The purpose of taking a brief look at the works of the heads of the city government of Karachi is to show that the need of the city government is more than ever today to improve the worst and worst situation of the city.

It is certain that the holding of local body elections cannot be postponed forever. Sometimes there will be local body elections and whenever this opportunity comes, it will be a test hour for the people as well.

 

The biggest problem of Karachi is that even the beneficiaries of this city are not ready to take its ownership. Through the power of voting in local elections, the people can transfer this ownership from their hands to anyone who is interested in solving the problems.

If we talk about the municipal elections, the ruling party of the province, People's Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan and Jamaat-e-Islami are prominent in the municipal elections in the city.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has claimed to win the local elections based on the ongoing 'Imran Khan wave' in the country, but the facts on the ground are that even when PTI was in power at the centre, 14 members of the National Assembly elected from Karachi. Members could not do anything for the betterment of the city.

Murtaza Wahab, the current administrator of Baldia Uzma Karachi or KMC, belongs to the People's Party. The People's Party also believes that it is capable of taking the reins of the city based on its performance.

If we talk about Jamaat-e-Islami, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman of Jamaat-e-Islami has been raising his voice on the problems of the city long before the municipal elections, which is evidenced by the campaign and sit-in against the poor performance of K Electric. The Sindh government had to accept the demands presented by Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, who led the sit-in, says that if he is elected mayor, instead of crying about the reduction of powers, he will work for the improvement of the city with the available resources and the people will see the change that will not only be on paper but in sight. Will also come.

In this whole situation, it is the responsibility of the people to exercise their right to vote in such a way that they do not re-elect those who are responsible for this destruction of the city, but elect people who did not get a chance in the first place and re-elect the city. are in the field with claims of livability. Karachi needs to be rebuilt and beautified once again and this will only be achieved if every person living in Karachi accepts the responsibility. Karachi is asking all of us that when will its destruction change into improvement again?