Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab’s recent demand for greater federal funding for the city’s development seems to be in conflict with his own recent decision-making to undermine federal projects for the metropolis. Wahab has been critical of Islamabad for offering Karachi only a “lollipop” and demanding a tenfold increase in federal support, yet he has no qualms about shelving the much-needed Green Line extension on dubious grounds.
The state of Karachi, which now regularly ranks among the world’s least livable cities — sometimes even surpassing warzones — is the result of a series of government failures at every level, dating back decades. However, it is worth noting that while no political party has led the federal government for more than one electoral cycle in Pakistan’s history, and the local government system has never been allowed to function properly, Sindh has been run by the same party for 17 years.
Not only that, but the PPP has also had outright majorities in each of the four provincial elections since 2008, with its best-ever seat haul coming last year. But despite such dominance, Karachi has gone from bad to worse, and Wahab is desperately trying to deflect blame onto anyone but his own party’s bosses.
It is also worth noting that PPP and PML-N have been engaged in a war of words over several issues, with both sides angered at being ‘disrespected’ by the other. But while the PML-N has developed a solid reputation for looking after the interests of Punjab’s most important cities, the PPP appears to have a vendetta against Karachi, with the thinnest of track records of actual achievements. After all, much of the city lacks proper sanitation or access to drinking water, road infrastructure is appalling, and even a bit of rain can turn the entire city into a nightmarish version of Venice.
If Islamabad needs to intervene to help Karachi, it should, and the federal government would be well within its rights to milk the opportunity for its own image building. Anyone who actually makes Karachi even a little bit better deserves that much.
