Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday expressed objection to comparisons between Karachi and Lahore in terms of infrastructure and governance, noting that both provincial capitals had different ground realities.
Speaking alongside Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin in Lahore, Wahab said, “When you compare Karachi to Lahore, this comparison is improper because of the population. We get water from a distance of 125 kilometres. Our daily water requirement is 1,100 million gallons per day (MGD), while our daily supply is 550 MGD, and the population continues to grow”.
“Therefore, I think that comparing them leads to conflict,” he added, calling for both administrations to “work together” and share expertise.
At one point, a reporter asked Wahab why the PPP “could not deliver what the public wanted” despite ruling Sindh for years, prompting Yasin to ask media persons to be “mindful of respecting the guests”.
Responding to another question, Wahab said making such comparisons “leads to an unfortunate situation”, highlighting that the government was aiming to complete under-construction bridges within 90 days.
Referring to Karachi as Pakistan’s “commercial capital”, Wahab noted there was a need for everyone to work together. “By portraying a Karachi-Lahore divide as political conflict, we are not serving Pakistan,” he asserted.
The mayor said his visit to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) aimed to learn how the city administration can cut costs and thanked the agency for sharing its expertise.
“No local council or municipal government can work without resources,” said the Karachi mayor.
Wahab highlighted that the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) had increased its revenue to around Rs2.5 billion per month, while Wasa had also bolstered its revenue to around Rs1.7-1.8bn per month.
“This collaboration will continue in this manner,” he said, adding that the Punjab government would continue to work under the PML-N’s vision while his city council would act upon the vision of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Mayor Wahab emphasised that “no institution could survive without its revenue”, noting that while it was every institution’s right to collect revenue, it was also bound to utilise it for serving the public.
“We have not increased our tariff, but still managed to increase our revenue up to three times in the past three years,” he said, affirming that it was the PPP leadership’s responsibility to utilise the earnings transparently.
Last month, Wahab said Karachi’s infrastructure would see significant improvement by the end of 2026, as more than 1,000 development schemes, including road construction, new underpasses and bridges, drainage upgrades and improvements to the water supply system, would be completed.
Bilal Yasin and Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab announced on Wednesday to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between WASA Karachi and WASA Lahore to strengthen cooperation.