Shahid Khaqan expresses concern over Karachi's worsening condition, calls for smaller administrative units

KARACHI: Former prime minister and Awaam Pakistan Party Chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has called for the creation of smaller administrative units and a stronger local government system, saying Karachi has fallen among the world’s worst cities due to poor governance and the unequal distribution of resources.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with ARY News, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the country’s existing governance system was no longer working.

“Under the current system, the country cannot function, and it is evident that it is not functioning,” he said.

“We have to introduce reforms, establish the rule of law, respect the people’s mandate and stop election rigging. Until that happens, the public will not accept the system,” he said.

Commenting on the political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Abbasi alleged that the electoral environment was deeply flawed.

“A candidate in AJK is unable to come out of his home today. A government formed through an election, in which genuine public representatives cannot participate, will not be accepted by the people. This will also harm the Kashmir cause,” he said.

Commenting on the Karachi situation,  Abbasi said Karachi’s problems stemmed from the unfair distribution of resources.

“The city that should have been Pakistan’s finest is now counted among the world’s worst cities,” he said.

Questioning the city’s water supply system, Abbasi asked, “If water can be delivered through tankers, why can’t it be supplied through pipelines?” He also said that hydrants were controlled by influential groups.

“There is an elite capture of the system. A city without reliable water, electricity, infrastructure or an effective policing system is ironically called ‘Paris.’

“Don’t try to make it Paris; let it remain Karachi; that would be enough,” he said.

Abbasi criticised successive governments for failing to strengthen local governments.

Read more: Farooq Sattar warns of resignations from assembly for MQM demands

“Those who could not deliver over the past 18 years are unlikely to do so in the future. Governments do not want a strong local government system because it would transfer authority over schools, hospitals and roads to elected local representatives,” he said.

He argued that smaller administrative units would improve governance and noted that demands for new provinces were emerging from different parts of the country.

“We need to think as Pakistanis and decide what is in the best interest of the country and its people,” he said.