Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has alleged a massive embezzlement of approximately Rs80 trillion, related to a deliberately neglected urban development plan, as it formally launched the “Save Karachi Campaign” to revive the country’s economic hub.
Addressing a press conference at the MQM headquarters in Bahadurabad on Saturday, Dr Farooq Sattar announced that after the “historic war” won in 2025, the new objective for 2026 is the “war for the economy” with the ultimate goal of making Pakistan economically sovereign.
“The country’s survival and security are linked to the survival and security of Karachi,” said Dr Sattar, emphasizing the port city’s indispensable role. He lamented the city’s deteriorating infrastructure and identified severe drainage issues, lack of clean water, and dilapidated roads as core problems facing “non-seriousness”.
To highlight its economic importance, he stated that the metropolis contributes 65 percent to the national revenue, 95 percent to the provincial exchequer, and is responsible for over 50 percent of the country’s exports.
Another party leader, Haider Abbas Rizvi, provided further details on the alleged financial negligence, claiming that the Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020 was “deliberately ignored”, which he termed tantamount to an “embezzlement of approximately Rs80 trillion”.
Mr. Rizvi, citing a former bureaucrat, also alleged that an additional “Rs34 trillion, which was Karachi’s right, was not given to it.” He reiterated that the party is making every effort to “bring back the lights of this city.”
As part of the new campaign, the party intends to contact a wide spectrum of civil society, including trade bodies, religious scholars, university staff, lawyers, students, and artists. Following the contacts, a seminar will be held to formulate a joint course of action.
The leadership also reiterated its policy statement of August 23, 2016, stating that MQM-Pakistan has no connection with the MQM founder and all party decisions are made in Pakistan. “We stand with the constitution, Pakistan, the armed forces of Pakistan, and the policy of the state,” Dr Sattar concluded.