With a hefty heart, I am writing this article about Pakistan’s only megapolitan city, Karachi, which remains the economic lifeline of our beloved country. Karachi, once a livable city that offered affordable accommodation to its residents and visitors, various food outlets, and an amazing array of tourist sites, including beautiful beaches, has been systematically turned into ruins.
I distinctly remember seeing the Karachi streets being washed by the city administration, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
However, once the international establishments decided to develop the desert states of the Middle East due to their hydrocarbon potential, Karachi had to be systematically downgraded from its status of the City of Lights to the Garbage Dump of the country.
It all began with ethnic riots, followed by language tension between the two major communities of the country’s most diverse cities. As if that was not enough, a local student organization was encouraged to form a political party and actively participate in the country’s parliamentary elections.
Without going into the domestic politics of Pakistan, I will focus on the systematic degradation of the country’s only megapolitan city, which now stands on the verge of complete administrative failure due to total apathy shown by all the successive federal, provincial, and local governments.
As mentioned earlier, Karachi’s contribution to Pakistan’s economy cannot be overemphasized. Once the city of lights remains the most lucrative centre for investments, trade, business, education, health facilities, and the political hub of the country. Despite a series of intended failures to push the country into ruins, Karachi’s status as Pakistan’s premier industrial and financial centre cannot be withdrawn. Karachi generates about 25 percent of Pakistan’s GDP and collects at least 35 percent of the country’s tax revenue. Moreover, Karachi produces about 30 percent of Pakistan’s industrial output, and Karachi’s ports handle about 95 percent of Pakistan’s foreign trade.
Despite its challenges, Karachi remains a preferred destination for those seeking employment and living in Pakistan’s largest city which has beaches even if they are never cleaned.
Likewise, Karachi is home to the State Bank of Pakistan and nearly all banks in Pakistan have their corporate headquarters there. Moreover, Karachi is home to about 90 percent of the multinational corporations in Pakistan due to the availability of cheap and skilled labour.
Also, “Karachi is a transport hub, with Pakistan’s two largest seaports and the country’s busiest airport. The city is home to many industrial complexes, including the Sindh Industrial & Trading Estate (SITE), Korangi Industrial & Trade Estate, and FB Area. Karachi’s industries produce a wide variety of goods, including textiles, chemicals, steel, machinery, cement, corn mills, shipbuilding, refined oil, shoes, and food.”
Let me now present you with the real picture of this beautiful city which it was once upon a time. The city infrastructure has been destroyed, perhaps intentionally by successive governments to punish the residents for their political choice. It is difficult to find a continuous patch or strip of one kilometer on any major or minor road without potholes or irregular bumps. Most of the roads have not been repaired for years and only get some cosmetic repair if a protocol movement is expected on a certain route.
Unfortunately, the entire city has been turned into a garbage dump and presents a rotten look. Interestingly, the people of Karachi have accepted living in the most unlivable state thinking as if they do not have a choice.
If a road is chosen to be rebuilt, it gets uprooted immediately but without any paved alternate route, and therefore, the people have undergone extreme hardship for years because every major project gets such inordinate delays that people make their own alternate with a wrinkle on their face.
Moreover, the entire city has been turned into a marketplace because all apartment buildings have inbuilt shops and therefore, people cross on major arteries of the city without fearing for their lives, which leads to frequent accidents particularly the aged passersby and women with children.
Now, there is no need to visit Tariq Road or Hydri Markets for shopping because several such shopping centres have erupted across all the towns and settlements of this megapolitan city.
The roadside open-air eateries are filled with customers as well as the rising dust due to traffic through those areas. Trust me, the food served, and fruit sold around the construction sites are covered with dust, but people have issues with eating ‘Butt Karahi’ and ‘Shinwari’ without even asking for a cover on the serving dishes.
Despite its many challenges, Karachi remains a preferred destination for those seeking employment and living in Pakistan’s largest city which has beaches even if they are never cleaned. While I would criticize all stakeholders for the present state of Karachi, I will salute the resilience of Karachiites for living in such a state which is not at all suitable for the people who are so hard-working, industrious, and forthcoming. I do not doubt that the people of Karachi deserve a lot better living for their contribution to our beloved country, Pakistan.
The writer has authored three international books: “Nuclear Deterrence and Conflict Management Between India and Pakistan” “South Asia Needs Hybrid Peace” and “Understanding Sun Tzu and the Art of Hybrid War.”