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Karachi is Bereft of Basic Amenities

Karachi needs a direction and only a unified city government could set the course.

By Syeda Areeba Rasheed | November 2020

hafeez pasha

Dr Hafeez Pasha says that while Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, Karachi is the economic hub of the country but it still does not provide its population the basic necessities of life, such as food, water, electricity, transportation, etc. The result is that this puts one-third of the country’s population below the poverty line.

Dr. Pasha said this at a seminar ‘Economic Revival of Karachi – the Way Forward’ which was held at the PMA House by the Karachi Citizens’ Forum (KCF). Dr Hafeez Pasha is a prominent educationist, economist and former federal minister. At the seminar, he spoke in detail about the economic conditions of Karachi and the problems the people are facing.

He said Karachi is rated as the fourth city in the world from the bottom in the liveability index (EIU index), due to the mismanagement of the authorities and the absence of an empowered local government. The city, he said, is recognized for its geopolitical status but is fast sinking into degradation because of its economic crises, lack of infrastructure development, political and social instability and sectarian confrontation. All this, he said, is increasing by the day but nobody seems to care. The Karachi Port handles 95% of Pakistan’s foreign eaernings. This is revenue that feeds the entire nation but proper attention to the city’s needs is sadly missing. All that the authorities are interested in is their political vendettas and this further complicates the condition of the metropolis.

Dr. Pasha also mentioned the incorrect 2017 census that was recently corrected by the Chief Justice of Pakistan. This city’s population may be claimed to be 3.5 crores but a fair assessment, he said, would be near 2.5 crores. While talking about the proposed 1.1 trillion package being earmarked for the development of Karachi, Dr. Pasha described it as an exercise in vain. He said several projects from foreign investors and the Sindh government had been started earlier but little was known about the utilization of the funds. He also mentioned the coronavirus pandemic that had impacted economic recovery of the city and had led to the cancellation of exports, slowdown in production and creation of huge debts that have resulted in increased inflation.

Dr. Pasha specially emphasized the lack of employment opportunities for young people. Quoting a recent study, he said that half of the graduate youth of the city could not find jobs, either in their relevant fields or in other areas. The result was that the middle-class worked day and night by doing odd jobs to make ends meet while others, who were frustrated because of being unemployed, drifted towards crime, or were exploited by politicians and joined rallies. He stressed on giving job opportunities to the youth as they were the future of the country.

In terms of a solution, Dr. Pasha said that Karachi needs a system in which the local bodies should be responsible about managing different parts of the city. If properly planned, with sustainable policy initiatives and honestly executed, this could lead to economic progress, higher productivity, increased manufacturing, greater exports and satisfactory employment. He said it was important that Karachi had a responsible apex body chaired by the chief minister and a monitoring body to keep an eye on the progress of the various projects. In his opinion, it was high time that the political leaders, especially those in power, also got down to the serious business of governing the country.

Other speakers at the seminar were Nargis Rahman, Shaikh Sultan Rehman (Vice President, FPCCI) and Abdul Hadi (President, S.I.T.E Association).

They too called for a powerful and financially autonomous city government along with a strong check and balance system to ensure transparent use of the city’s resources.

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