These days there are calls for more administrative units or provinces in Pakistan. What can be a bigger administrative mess than Karachi with a population of over 20 million. This city has become a nightmare for its residents, who live in fear, while target killers, robbers and kidnappers are having a field day. There is absolutely no law and order in this city for the past four years. This problem has exists since the mid 80s. Land mafia operates in Karachi with the blessings of powerful patrons, either in the local administration or city government.
All of us saw live coverage of an attempt by an advisor to CM trying to forcefully occupy expensive KPT land in Mai Kolachi about a year back, while the police stood by helplessly. During the Musharraf era, over 300 prime real estate property belonging to federal government was illegally taken over by activists of an ethnic party in connivance with local city government and their blessings. In the past eight months, over 1500 citizens of Karachi have been killed mercilessly while the city and provincial government stood by.
Nowhere else in the country, including Hazara, Saraiki belt and Bahalwalpur, is there a bigger breakdown of administration and collapse of governance as is the situation in Karachi. It is time that Karachi be declared a federally administered unit, or a separate province so that its residents could live in peace and the wheels of industry start moving.
RAHAT SIDDIQI
Karachi
