KARACHI: The opposition in the Karachi City Council on Friday announced plans to table a no-confidence motion against Mayor Murtaza Wahab, holding him accountable for the deadly Gul Plaza incident.
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Addressing reporters at the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarters, Leader of the Opposition Advocate Saifuddin of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) said the party had initially hoped the Sindh government would acknowledge the mayor’s shortcomings voluntarily, but no such action was taken.
“We wanted the Sindh government to realise that the mayor has failed, but that did not happen,” Saifuddin remarked. “If the Sindh government does not remove the mayor, we will have no option but to bring a no-confidence motion against him.”
The JI leader added that preliminary contacts had been made with various political parties in the City Council, claiming that several groups had assured support for the motion. However, he admitted that turning the initiative into a successful political move would be challenging, noting the party’s historically limited influence in the council.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab was elected mayor on June 15, 2023, after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) formed an alliance with PML-N and JUI-F, securing a combined strength of 173 votes in the 367-member council. Although Jamaat-i-Islami had the backing of 61 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members, 32 PTI-affiliated members failed to participate in the polling process, contributing to Wahab’s victory.
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The proposed no-confidence motion comes amid growing public anger over the Gul Plaza collapse, which killed several people and drew criticism over municipal oversight and safety enforcement. The opposition’s move signals mounting political pressure on the mayor ahead of ongoing investigations and calls for accountability.