Once upon a time, Karachi was not only the most cosmopolitan city of Pakistan but a hub of business activity and a preferred place of investment in the country due to its superior infrastructure and an educated middle class. Not anymore. Going through the city on lawless roads and especially on a day when there is a call for a strike, most of these attributes would now appear to be a thing of the past. Conditions in the "city of lights and hopes" have now deteriorated to an extent that investors are openly threatening the government that they would abandon Karachi and shift their businesses abroad, if they are not provided necessary infrastructure and security. Representatives of Karachi Industrial Forum (KIF), a group of seven industrial areas of the city, in a meeting on 31st March, 2015, expressed their disappointment over the indifferent attitude of the government towards various issues highlighted by them time and again despite their pleas to the Prime Minister, Governor, Chief Minister, federal ministers and relevant government departments to do the needful. Hussain Quli Khan, President, Landhi Association of Trade and Industry, citing the example of his area, said that Landhi industrial area is badly damaged, entrance and exit points of the area are full of pot holes and ditches and travelling on these roads does not only cause wastage of time but poses grave risk to lives and property. During peak hours, there are always severe traffic gridlocks. Such hours provide criminals a golden opportunity to deprive people of their valuables. Filthy water is overflowing from the drains situated on the highway and General Tyre Road is under construction for many months, causing serious hazards and inconvenience. There is an acute shortage of water for industrial needs and factory owners have to buy water from hydrants at much higher prices. These factors have therefore elevated the cost of production and rendered them uncompetitive. Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has no plan to tackle the growing needs of industrial units. Gas supplied to the industries is devoid of pressure, resulting in non-functioning of boilers and machinery. Law and order situation in the city in general and industrial areas in particular is worse. To add to the misery, only few police personnel are available with 15-Madadgar. President SITE Association of Industry, Jawed Bilwani, also spoke about various problems on the occasion and offered certain solutions.
Although, issues raised by the representatives of business and industry are quite relevant to the situation prevailing in the city, the experience of people actually living in Karachi is much more painful than reflected in their representation. The condition of roads and other infrastructure, extortion of money, indifferent attitude of the government, kidnappings for ransom, encroachments by force and robberies are so rampant and visible that living in a jungle would appear to be a preferable proposition. Burning alive of 250 labourers in a Baldia garment factory and the killing of an ordinary person on payment of a mere Rs 5,000 are only some of the manifestations of a totally dysfunctional city. What the representatives of industrialists have left unsaid is that a large number of their compatriots have already closed their shops and shifted their businesses to Punjab, or out of the country. This has increased unemployment, frustration and lawlessness in the city further. Their exit from Karachi also shows in no uncertain terms that the present warning by the industrialists is not an empty threat which if even partially fulfilled would be another bolt from the blue for the residents of Karachi. There is also heart-burning in the city that while Karachi is going down the drain, some other cities in the country, especially in Punjab, are witnessing fast improvements in infrastructure and living conditions.
Such a decay would not probably have mattered that much if the city of Karachi is not so much important for the economy of Pakistan. It is the principal port of the country, contributing overwhelmingly to the revenues of the state and the GDP and generating the highest level of employment in the country besides serving as a crucial link between the country and the outside world for foreign trade. The fact that the city has descended into utter chaos, disorder and disrepair should give sleeplessness nights to the powers that be but nothing has been done to fix the problems for a long time. Fortunately, the federal government seems to have woken from its deep slumber lately and activated the Rangers to restore peace by eliminating all kinds of terrorism from the city. While they are doing a reasonably good job, it needs to be understood that the operation is going to be temporary and it is the provincial government which has to assume full responsibility for maintaining law and order, upgrading infrastructure and attracting investment in the city. The federal government and its institutions, including the army, can of course extend a helping hand but the challenge of restoring the rightful place of the city in the economy of the country has to be confronted by the provincial government which has to muster the courage and devote enough resources for the purpose. By the look of the city, it appears that not a penny has been spent on its proper maintenance or upgradation after the departure of President Musharraf from the government. Whether the provincial government could rise to the occasion and play its due role in surmounting the odds, only time will tell.
According to some urban planners, economic development will not produce good cities; it is rather great cities that bring about economic development. There is therefore an urgent need to tackle mobility and commuting problems in Karachi. There is no dearth of urban planners. To make commuting a pleasant experience for all and not just motorists (private car owners) is sorely lacking. Flyovers only provide an illusion of a developing city. Lack of footpaths and absence of a mass transit system in Karachi constitute a poor reflection on democracy.