Advocate Hasnain Ali Chohan, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Insaf Lawyers Forum, today accused provincial and municipal authorities of intentionally crippling Karachi, pointing to a severe rise in violent street crime that has left over 70 citizens dead and more than 650 injured in robberies this year alone.
Speaking to the media at City Court Karachi, Chohan contended that the city’s worsening civic and administrative situation is not a natural disaster but the direct result of years of official negligence, corruption, and poor governance.
The advocate charged both the provincial and municipal governments with ‘deliberately depriving Karachi of basic civic services.’ He claimed that instead of resolving the city’s chronic water shortage, the administration has strengthened the tanker mafia, while critical projects such as K-IV were sacrificed to ‘political expediency.’
He described the public transport structure as deteriorated and the drainage system as collapsed. Chohan added that the prolonged delay in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project had turned Karachi’s main arterial road into a ‘corridor of ruins.’
Chohan highlighted a complete breakdown in sanitation, asserting that despite three agencies being responsible for the task, garbage collection practically existed only on paper. He stated that of the nearly 14,000 tonnes of waste generated daily, half never reached landfill sites and was instead dumped into drains and streets, creating a ‘severe urban health and environmental crisis.’
He termed the situation an ‘outright manifestation of corruption and incompetence’ within the Sindh and municipal administrations. Chohan also noted that the uncollected waste could be used for power generation, offering citizens cheaper electricity and helping to ease the city’s energy crisis.
Revisiting the surge in lawlessness, he remarked that residents are ‘living under constant fear’ and alleged the police are being used for political objectives instead of crime prevention. ‘The force is busy protecting the powerful, leaving ordinary citizens helpless,’ he commented.
The ILF leader claimed that had Karachi received its due share of Rs3,260 billion over the past 15 years, most of its key issues would have been addressed.
He warned that the metropolis could no longer be subjected to ‘governance experiments’ and stressed that transparency and accountability are essential. He concluded that the city urgently requires a strong, empowered, and corruption-free local government system to prevent further decline.