Foreign Policy Blogs

Karachi Trouble

According to a report in Dawn, Pakistan government has lost billions in revenue because of the chaos that was caused by rain in Karachi.

This is not good news.

There is no question that this rain in Karachi broke all records, at least for the last 30 years, but the response from those who were supposed to manage the city is unacceptable. City’s mayor has been bragging about his work ethics, his commitment to providing services to the citizens of Karachi, his ‘record of service’ and every other claim of progress was washed away as soon as it started to rain.

I know it is brutal to criticize those who worked day and night to restore services, but I can’t be dishonest about assessing those who were actually responsible for maintaining normalcy and order during unusual circumstances. In fact, if the city had to suffer and it was going to take as much time as it took to get back to normal, then why should Karachi pay millions of rupees in salaries to the current leadership responsible for managing the city?

In my opinion, there should be some accountability and heads should roll not because the government lost valuable tax revenue, but all the citizens of Karachi went through hell. Imagine living without electricity, clean running water, and roads that are clear for driving or walking. It was just too much, too much.

It is time that Pakistanis start demanding answers and get rid of incompetent leaders. Karachi is an excellent place to start the cleaning process.

Bilal Qureshi

Washington, DC

 

Author

Bilal Qureshi

Bilal Qureshi is a resident of Washington, DC, so it is only natural that he is tremendously interested in politics. He is also fascinated by the relationship between Pakistan, the country of his birth, and the United States of America, his adopted homeland. Therefore, he makes every effort to read major newspapers in Pakistan and what is being said about Washington, while staying fully alert to the analysis and the news being reported in the American press about Pakistan. After finishing graduate school, he started using his free time to write to various papers in Pakistan in an effort to clarify whatever misconceptions he noticed in the press, especially about the United States. This pastime became a passion after his letters were published in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and his writing became more frequent and longer. Now, he is here, writing a blog about Pakistan managed by Foreign Policy Association.

Areas of Focus:
Taliban; US-Pakistan Relations; Culture and Society

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