Opposition plans no-confidence motion against Karachi mayor

Leader of Opposition in the City Council Saifuddin Advocate on Friday announced plans to move a no-confidence motion against Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, holding him and the Sindh government fully responsible for what he described as continued misgovernance and repeated tragedies in the city.

Sindh and the city government have come under widespread criticism following the Gul Plaza inferno, which claimed 79 lives, with calls growing for the Karachi mayor to resign from his post.

Following the incident, a sharp war of words erupted between the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh, while wall chalking appeared across several neighbourhoods calling for the city to be placed under federal or military control, further heightening political tensions in the metropolis.

Read: Another 12 Gul Plaza fire victims identified using geo-tagging: Sindh Police

Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) staged a strong protest in the Sindh Assembly, criticising government oversight, alleging illegal constructions, and demanding accountability from the Sindh Building Control Authority over the tragedy.

Addressing a crowded press conference today, Saifuddin said that Karachi remained in mourning following the Gul Plaza tragedy, yet the ruling elite appeared indifferent to public suffering and remained busy with exhibitions and ceremonial activities.

He said the people of Karachi were increasingly being forced to believe that the city had no guardian, as incidents of negligence and lawlessness continued unabated.

Launching a scathing attack on the provincial government, the opposition leader said residents of Karachi were being crushed under water tankers, killed due to dog bites and shot dead during robbery resistance while criminals roamed freely.

“Governance does not mean holding meeting after meeting. Governance becomes visible only when institutions function on time,” he said, adding that a government could not claim authority if the fire brigade failed to respond during emergencies.

Read More: Investigation reveals how Gul Plaza fire became a death trap

Rejecting the inquiry report prepared under the supervision of the Karachi commissioner into the Gul Plaza incident, Saifuddin termed it “bogus” and questioned the credibility of the committee. “How can those guilty of negligence conduct an impartial inquiry?” he asked.

He alleged that the report attempted to conceal facts and protect those responsible, and demanded a transparent investigation led by the Sindh High Court chief justice or a senior judge of the judiciary.

Also Read: Karachi walls call for federal, military control as tensions rise after Gul Plaza fire

Holding the Karachi mayor directly responsible for the tragedy, Saifuddin said that while funerals were taking place in the city, the mayor was in Islamabad attending events and inaugurating exhibitions.

“When a child falls into a gutter, the mayor inaugurates a swimming pool,” he remarked.

He warned that if the PPP government failed to remove the mayor, the opposition would move a no-confidence motion against him, adding that preparations for the motion had already begun and contact was established with political parties represented in the City Council, many of whom had assured their support.

Speaking on alleged financial corruption and institutional decay, Saifuddin claimed that the PPP had failed to account for Rs22 trillion over the past 17 years.

He said that under the 2013 local government law, key institutions of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) were taken over, weakening the city government. He also criticised the separation of Rescue 1122 from the KMC and the merger of the Fire Brigade into it, calling the move a serious administrative mistake.

Outlining the opposition’s future course of action, he announced that the JI will organise a major citywide march on February 1 against misgovernance and injustice.

Expressing disappointment with the federal government and MQM-P, he said the only solution to Karachi’s problems lay in an empowered and autonomous city government.