Karachi is internationally referred to as the ‘City of Lights’ and the ‘City of the Quaid’ It is not only the largest city in Pakistan but also one of the six largest cities in the world, with a population of over 20 million, as officially declared in Pakistan’s last national census in 2023.
Karachi has long been Pakistan’s financial capital and a major hub for industry and trade. It is home to the country’s two largest seaports, which hold significant strategic importance. The beauty of Karachi lies in its reputation as one of the most secular and socially liberal cities, characterised by its multiethnic diversity.
Karachi’s resilience lies in its ability to withstand conflicts, riots, protests, and economic shocks while continuously generating resources for both the federal and Sindh governments. Despite its deteriorating infrastructure and lack of basic civic facilities, the city contributed Rs2,522 billion in taxes during FY2023-24, including Rs1,360 billion in income tax, Rs136.3 million in federal excise duty, and over Rs1,000 billion in sales tax, accounting for the highest share at 30.74 per cent.
Karachi also contributed more than Rs300 billion in sales tax on services and generated a total of 95 per cent of Sindh’s government revenue, primarily from its urban areas, as reported by the FBR in 2023.
Remarkably, the World Bank has acknowledged the economic challenges of Karachi through ‘Transforming Karachi into a Livable and Competitive Megacity’, aimed at improving urban management, service delivery and the business environment. To address the city's infrastructure and service delivery needs — particularly in urban transport, water supply and sanitation, and municipal solid waste — the World Bank has allocated a grant of $9 billion over 10 years.
It is now time for this mega city and financial capital to receive the long-overdue administrative attention it deserves, with a unified command similar to that in other capital cities of Pakistan.
The root of many of its problems lies in its divided civic administrative governance, where multiple civic agencies operate like ships passing in the night.
Karachi is in dire need of a unified metropolitan authority to bring order to the chaos and guide the city towards a brighter future. The city's governance is fragmented among multiple overlapping authorities, including the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), seven District Municipal Corporations (DMCs), six cantonment boards, the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), and various federal agencies such as the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Port Qasim Authority (PQA), Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Federal Capital Area, Pakistan Railways, and numerous federally allotted quarters and cooperative societies.
Each entity controls vast tracts of land and is responsible for planning, development, civic facilities, and infrastructure within its jurisdiction. However, a lack of coordination and conflicting interests among these authorities has resulted in inefficiency and mismanagement — making Karachi a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.
One of the growing concerns raised by the business community, including the Association of Builders and Developers and the Karachi Chamber of Commerce, is the escalating issue of land grabbing in Karachi. Despite the worsening law and order situation, this issue remains unresolved due to the involvement of multiple authorities, such as the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Lyari Development Authority (LDA), Malir Development Authority (MDA), Board of Revenue, Katchi Abadi Authority, Gothabad, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and others. The overlapping jurisdiction of these entities has enabled the illegal occupation of valuable land through fraudulent documentation, forcing rightful owners to endure years of legal battles to reclaim their property.
Similarly, the city continues to suffer from failed solid waste management, an inequitable drinking water supply, a deteriorating sewerage and drainage system, unaddressed environmental concerns and unchecked population growth — all of which remain entangled in the inefficiencies of these fragmented authorities.
Given this scenario, can the recently implemented local government system effectively deliver and function within such a fragmented structure? More importantly, can it fulfill the constitutional mandate of Article 140-A, which explicitly requires the devolution of political, administrative and financial authority?
By learning from the successes of sister cities of Karachi like Shanghai, Port Louis, Houston, Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur – which are shining examples of effective urban management — our mega city can draw valuable lessons to design a governance structure tailored to its unique needs.
Karachi deserves nothing less from all the stakeholders including the federal and provincial governments which don’t need to reinvent the wheel but can bring all civic functions under one roof and transition to a Unified Metropolitan Corporation immediately.
The writer is a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from the MQM-P.