Karachi Mayor’s tenure

Waseem Akhtar ends his tenure as Karachi Mayor on August 28 leaving behind a checkered legacy in which the local government failed to resolve the plethora of problems facing the city. At his farewell presser, the mayor vented out his frustration over the past four years and was visibly in tears.

The tenure of the Karachi Mayor has been characterized by negligence and incompetency as he often complained the lack of authority and powers. A power tussle has ensued between the main three stakeholders – PPP-led Sindh government, PTI and Akhtar’s own MQM. Amid the ongoing political wrangling, the residents have suffered the most.

While even Peshawar finally has its own BRT project, Karachi’s public transportation lies in shambles; piles of garbage are strewn on the streets and the city gets flooded even with the slightest spell of rain. Akhtar was quick to blame the Sindh government saying it has divided the province and had taken control of all revenue generating departments for itself.

The mayor even went a step further and demanding that Karachi should be a separate province. The people want Karachi to become a metropolitan city and it will only develop with an empowered local government. The mayor has been demanding a system in which he has absolute power and has full control over the city.

It may be too late for Mayor Karachi as it unlikely that he or his party will return for a second term. It is widely expected the next mayor might be the PTI. It is also unlikely that new elections will be held anytime soon possibly till forming new delimitations and the coronavirus pandemic. Until then, administrators would be appointed which are likely from the bureaucracy.

The federal government failed to assist its ally and the outgoing mayor expressed his disappointment saying he wrote thousands of letters but received no reply. A handful of development projects were completed from federal funds but several schemes and megaprojects remained incomplete. The failure to leave behind anything substantial will be the defining period of Waseem Akhtar’s legacy. Residents should move on and hope his eventual replacement will be empowered and resolve their problems.