Sindh CM compares Zohran Mamdani to Murtaza Wahab, says change began in Karachi reaches New York

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday drew a comparison between newly elected New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, saying that the “change that started from Karachi has now reached New York.”

Speaking at the Future Summit titled “Course Correction: Redefining the Direction” held at a local hotel in Karachi, the chief minister said that New York had elected 34-year-old Muslim mayor Zohran Mamdani, noting that Karachi had also chosen a young mayor a few years earlier.

“The change that started from Karachi city and it’s got to New York,” Murad Ali Shah remarked.

Highlighting his government’s development agenda, Shah said that from Sindh People’s Housing for Flood-Affectees to the Karachi Safe City Project, and from Shahrah-e-Bhutto to various green initiatives, all reflect a pragmatic, forward-looking, and people-centered approach.

He added that the Sindh government had introduced reforms to simplify business processes, strengthen public-private partnerships, and ensure that infrastructure development aligns with sustainability and equity.

Meanwhile, in a landmark political development in the United States, New Yorkers elected Zohran Mamdani, a young left-leaning politician, as their next mayor. Democrats also secured two key governorships, in what analysts described as a major boost for the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The clean sweep of the top contests among several ballots nationwide will boost morale for Democrats bruised by Trump’s onslaught since returning to the White House, and set alarm bells ringing in Republican circles.

Mamdani’s victory came in the face of fierce attacks on his policies and Muslim heritage from President Donald Trump, business elites and conservative media.

The Democratic party’s victories in the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey suggested a shift in political mood as the country looks to next year’s midterm elections when control of Congress will be up for grabs.

Trump refused to take any blame for Tuesday’s results. In a post on his Truth Social network, he cited anonymous “pollsters” suggesting the Republican defeats were down to the government shutdown and the fact that his own name wasn’t on ballots.