Every monsoon, Karachi becomes a city under water. Streets vanish into brown rivers, power goes out, and families wade through waist-high water just to reach work or school. This is not new. It has been happening for decades. Yet, despite ruling Sindh almost continuously since 2008, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has failed to provide the country’s biggest city—and its economic engine—with the basic infrastructure it desperately needs.
Why Has PPP Neglected Karachi?
1. Rural vs. Urban Power Base
PPP’s vote bank lies in rural Sindh. Karachi, with its diverse mix of ethnic and political loyalties, has rarely been a PPP stronghold. The political calculus is simple: invest where votes are secure, not necessarily where revenue comes from.
2. Tug-of-War in Governance
Karachi’s institutions—KMC, KDA, water boards—often clash with provincial authorities. Local governments, historically controlled by MQM or other rivals, are undermined by PPP. The result is confusion, duplication, and paralysis.
3. Corruption and Patronage
Development funds often disappear into patronage networks. Contracts go to loyalists instead of competent firms. Projects stall halfway, leaving half-built drains and incomplete sewage lines.
4. Short-Term Thinking
Stormwater drains, waste management, and urban planning don’t make for glamorous ribbon-cutting ceremonies. PPP has preferred short-term “visible” projects over long-term infrastructure investments.
The Consequences of Neglect
1. Billions Lost Every Year
Karachi generates nearly 50–60% of Pakistan’s federal revenue. Every flood halts factories, delays exports, and stalls transport. A single day of disruption costs billions.
2. Health Emergencies
Floodwaters breed disease. Dengue, malaria, and gastroenteritis spike after every rain, overwhelming already stretched hospitals.
3. Urban Flight
Those who can afford to leave—do. Families shift to Lahore, Islamabad, or even abroad. Karachi loses talent, brainpower, and taxpayers.
4. Deepening Rural–Urban Divide
Residents feel exploited: Karachi’s revenue is drained, but its streets remain broken. This fuels resentment, strengthening the divide between rural Sindh and the city.
5. Erosion of PPP’s National Image
Each rainstorm exposes PPP’s governance gap. Instead of being seen as a national party, it is increasingly viewed as a rural patronage machine uninterested in urban survival.
A Political Choice, Not a Natural Disaster
Karachi’s collapse each monsoon is not inevitable. It is the product of decades of deliberate neglect. The city doesn’t just flood with rainwater—it floods with the consequences of political apathy.
The Qur’an says: “Whoever saves one life, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely” (5:32). Yet here, lives are routinely risked for political convenience.
Until the PPP—or any future government—treats Karachi not as an afterthought but as the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, the city will keep drowning. And with it, so will the country’s future.
Post a Comment