KARACHI: In a move shrouded in secrecy, the Board of the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has approved a two-year extension for Chief Operating Officer (COO) Asadullah Khan – a decision that has sparked outrage within the institution and raised serious questions in political and public circles.
According to sources, the extension was quietly inserted into the board’s agenda and passed without debate. What makes the development all the more controversial is that the World Bank had earlier rejected Khan’s candidature for the post of KWSC’s CEO, citing unsatisfactory performance, and had formally recommended Ahmed Ali Siddiqui instead. The Sindh government not only accepted the Bank’s objection but also issued a notification appointing Siddiqui. Yet, many experts had warned at the time that efforts would eventually be made to retain Khan in some capacity – a prediction that has now come true.
This is not the first time his appointment has come under fire. Opposition parties, and even some members of the ruling coalition, have long held Khan responsible for the worsening state of Karachi’s water and sewerage system. His name resurfaced in Sindh Assembly debates, most notably when MQM’s Khurshid declared him a “failed officer”, a remark still fresh in the public memory.
Insiders claim that during his earlier stint as Managing Director, Khan failed to deliver any tangible results, leaving the utility mired in inefficiency and mismanagement. Despite repeated attempts to secure the CEO position, he was consistently sidelined – yet managed to cling on to power within KWSC through his political connections. The fresh extension granted by the board has now revived suspicions about behind-the-scenes manoeuvring.
Political commentators say that while the provincial government has reshuffled its local government minister, the entrenched bureaucrats responsible for leaving Karachi dry and sinking in filth continue to thrive. “This extension only reinforces the perception that the Sindh government is more interested in protecting favourites than in solving Karachi’s problems,” remarked one analyst.
The pressing question on the minds of Karachiites is simple: if an officer deemed unfit by international institutions and remembered for years of stagnation is still at the helm, who will finally rescue the city from its chronic water and sanitation crisis?
Experts warn that unless merit replaces political patronage and nepotism in key decisions, access to clean water and a functional sewerage system will remain nothing more than a distant dream for the citizens of Karachi.
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