‘The Karachi dilemma’

Nasim Haider

Karachi

This is apropos a Business Recorder analysis carried by the newspaper in its analyses and Comments section of Thursday. The newspaper deserves commendation for bringing into focus the plight of this city of teeming millions in an effective and meaningful manner. It has pointed out, among other things, that “Nobody politically owns the city. The ruling provincial party has little stake in the city. The city development function is fragmented, as several federal, provincial and local bodies operate without cohesion. Then political parties fight over the city, but no one is doing anything to solve the issues.”

According to some rough estimates, Karachi’s population has crossed the mark of 20 million people. That the city dwellers have been battling against the lack of required civic amenities is a fact. Like any other megacity in the world Karachi showcases, among other things, high inequality and constant arrival of economic migrants in huge numbers from rest of the country. Karachi also faces the challenge of high level of violent crimes and ethnic and sectarian killings. There appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel because nobody is willing to own this city for whatever reasons.