Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has discussed the issue of Karachi with his legal team and some MNAs from the city, is now considering different options under the Constitutional cover.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned the Centre against any 'adventure' in the province matters, stating any attempt to change in the status of the city would be considered as its 'takeover' and would be resisted.
Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, whose term is expiring on August 28, has blamed both Sindh and Federal governments for not addressing the core issue of empowerment of the local governments, and demanded drastic changes in the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013.
Karachi has been facing this tripartite conflict long without any solution in sight. The Supreme Court has been taking up the city issues since 2011 when former chief justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry took suo motu notice of Karachi's law and order problem, but the city is still short of permanent solution as governments mostly looked for ad hoc measures.
Karachi is mired in administrative and political problems. Multiple mafias have been controlling city since long in connivance with all major agencies responsible for supply of water, electricity, gas or other civic amenities. Karachities faced hardship in getting jobs on Karachi Domicile, and even Grade 1-15 jobs are also being denied to them.
The mafias have taken over control of its prime land and it may not be easy for anyone to resolve these issues. It is because of these mafias' no mega project of Karachi has ever been completed while billions had been spent whether it is 40-year old Karachi Mass Transit or present schemes like K-IV or Green Line Bus.
Most experts believe Karachi’s has no real water problem, rather it’s self-created distribution of water. Now, If the civic agencies like Water Board, Cantonment Boards and DHAs and others have their own fleet of water tankers, who gave water at the rate ranging from Rs3,000 to Rs6,000 and even more depending on single and double tanker, and why these agencies would provide water to the citizen at cheaper rate through normal lines?
Karachi has 38 major 'nalas' and over 500 minor 'nalas,' which the Provincial Sindh government have miserably failed to clean up over the years. The local government is equally responsible for this mess. The SC has recently given the task to National Disaster Management Authority, NDMA for draining out water within three months and removal of encroachments. About 20 years ago, the World Bank had proposed Rehabilitation of the Storm Water Drain System, but it could not be materialised.
Now, when NDMA has already cleared three out of 38 major nalas, the rest will take some time but it would be interesting to see whether the money from the international donors has not come or has already been given to some contractors. Sindh advocate general plea to the SC to allow the provincial government for cleaning of nalas is already dismissed.
Karachi issues’ solution lies in a powerful local government system and good governance at all levels. Karachi can't be governed with KMC, six DMCs, six Cantonment Boards under DHA, and all its related departments beside those under the federal government like KPT, Pakistan Railway, which also have some prime land.
It is time the Sindh government and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari looked into the implementation of the 18th Amendment, and the clause which wants financial, political and administrative power transferred from the Centre to the provinces and from province to the local governments.
While Bilawal Bhutto rightly pointed out towards injustice to Sindh by the Centre over NFC, but his silence over empowerment of LB system and Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) raises many questions.
The PPP-led Sindh government has already changed Karachi’s status with back-to-back measures, starting from Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2013. When the party came into power in the 2013 election, it even changed the Police Order 2002 with the draconian Police Order 1861. Later, when the superior court intervened it revived the Order 2002 with some drastic and controversial changes after controversies with two previous IGPs, A.D.Khawaja and Kaleem Imam.
In a surprise moved it has also changed the status of the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) and declared it as Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). Interestingly, the status of other such authorities in the province remained unchanged. If the purpose was to bring improvement, what improvement Karachi has seen?
After Independence, Karachi was declared as the capital of Pakistan. It was former president and military dictator Field Marshal Ayub Khan who shifted the capital and a new city, raised Islamabad as the federal capital despite strong protest.
Over the years, the status of Karachi has further changed. It is now a city of six districts beside multiple civic agencies and authorities, which has only aggravated the situation. It has 8,000 katchi abadis in which nearly five million people live in worst conditions. There are some 1.6 million aliens.
The prime minister should come to Karachi and take decisions after meaningful consultation with all the stakeholders. Solution requires speedy enforcement of decisions and the Supreme Court can go for oversight particularly in relation to numerous 'stay orders.' The Chief Justice of Pakistan can also club all the pending petitions on civic issues and decide on urgent basis.
Following are some of the possible solution to Karachi's problems :-
(1) All the stakeholders must accept that Karachi has to come under one umbrella, and the city and its mayor get status and powers like mayors of the megacities around the world. All the civic agencies must come under one mayor whose election could be held through direct election.
(2) There is also a need for a strong accountability mechanism as our civic agencies are plagued by corrupt whether under civilian control or non civilian. The Supreme Court can consider having strong civic courts where judgements should be given within one to three months.
(3) Fresh population census in Karachi is needed to determine its exact population and delimitation of constituencies accordingly. Without knowing the exact population it would be impossible to re-plan the most unplanned city.
(4) Karachi at present hardly has any public transport. In the 80s, Japanese suggested 8,000 large size buses instead of mini buses. After 30 years, the city at least 30,000 large size buses and more incentives should be given to private bus and taxi services.
(5) Karachi roads not only need expansion but also immediate removal of encroachment around thousands of service roads, footpaths.
(6) It is time to look into the housing sector in Karachi. Hundreds and thousands of apartments, commercial and residential plazas have been built without basic amenities. Prime land has been distributed or sold on throwaway prices.
(7) Karachi should have its own Metropolitan Police system like in other big cities of the world. The presence of local police irrespective of ethnicity or caste could be a step forward.
(8) Karachi at present has three major industrial zones. It can have more economic zones in consultation with businessmen and traders.
(9) It is also high time the military establishment revisited the presence of multiple Cantonment Boards and housing schemes under the Umbrella of different societies against the backdrop of the recent scandal involving one of the housing schemes, which the court has already declared illegal. Such matters gave a bad name to the institution.
(10) The prime minister in consultation with the Sindh chief minister, the mayor and other stakeholders can form an 'Apex Committee' for oversight.
The biggest 'stakeholder' of the city is the citizens of Karachi, who have been victimised over the last 40. In the past, both PPP and MQM failed in resolving the issue of this commercial hub. Karachi problems need to be looked into above all ethnic biases. It is time to own Karachi.
(The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of GEO, The News and Jang. Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO)
