Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed once again chided the Pakistan People’s Party-led Sindh government as the Supreme Court took up hearings pertaining to encroachments and other cases at the SC’s Karachi Registry. The apex court ordered to demolish the Pavilion End Club and end all commercial activities on an amusement park in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.
“Except the province of Sindh, the whole country is progressing. It appeared as if there was no concept of governance in Sindh,” the Chief Justice told Sindh government. CJP Gulzar Ahmed had chided PPP several times for the lack of governance in Sindh, however, no action was taken by the provincial government.
Karachi has been named among the 10 least liveable cities in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) — the research and analysis division of the Economist Group — in The Global Liveability Index 2021, which is a disgrace for the Pakistan People’s Party, which has ruled Sindh for more than a decade.
Karachi is considered to be the economic hub of Pakistan and people of all races and ethnicities are found here. Today, the population of Karachi is estimated to be around 30 million. The problems of this city are also increasing along with the population.
Clean drinking water in Karachi is still a dream for the citizens. Due to a clogged, ineffective drainage system in Karachi, even a short shower brings great misery to residents. The law and order situation in Karachi is much better as compared to previous decade, but street crimes are increasing at an alarming rate.
Karachi is the perfect example of the problems a city faces when its growth is unplanned and undirected. A combination of a burgeoning middle class and the subsequent increased demand for housing along with a powerful building mafia working in concert with the authorities has led to a mushrooming of high-rise buildings around the city.
It is a matter of concern that illegal construction is not an individual act but government officials, police and all concerned agencies are involved. After the torrential rains last year, voices were raised for an operation against illegal constructions in Karachi, but unfortunately, this operation has not been completed yet.
Encroachments and illegal constructions must be eliminated wherever they are, but the question is how such structures were built. Several reports have clarified that who were involved in the illegal constructions. But to date, those who allowed construction on drains were not held accountable and no one has been punished yet.
Every government, whether it is provincial or federal, have always keeps the citizens of Karachi deprived of their basic needs despite allocating billions of rupees in the budget every year. It was a good move to demolish encroachments and illegal structures in Karachi, but the poor who have invested their life savings, where should they go?
Those who gave permission for the illegal construction should be arrested first. What we need to do is to work more effectively and more efficiently to curb illegal construction in Karachi.
