Just three days after its resounding victory in the local bodies’ elections in Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has officially adopted the position that under the Sindh Local Government Act of 2013 the Mayor of the mega city would be powerless. The local bodies have been made subservient to the Minister of Local Bodies depriving them of any meaningful authority. According to MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi, who was speaking for the party, “the city mayor will have to wait for minister for the local bodies’ approval to issue salaries to his subordinates” and would not have even authority to launch cleanliness drive on his own. The City District Government Karachi established under the Sindh Local Bodies Ordinance of 2001 was the best thing that happened to the city. The development work that took place under Syed Mustafa Kamal, the City Nazim or Mayor, was unprecedented. The people of Karachi would not be satisfied if their Mayor is unable to deliver. The local bodies’ law of 2001 was given protection under the Seventeenth Amendment to the constitution for a period of six years.
After the general elections of 2008, the Pakistan People’s Party’s government brought an end to the system as it wanted tighter control over the city. Now the MQM has announced to use legal and constitutional means to get the powers of local bodies in Sindh restored. Article 140 A (1) of the Constitution says: “Each Province shall, by law, establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local governments.” The Sindh Local Government Act of 2013 has made mockery of local government system proposed under the Constitution. Practically it does not grant even some of those powers to the local bodies which they enjoyed under the local bodies’ law of 1979 passed under martial law government. A mega city like Karachi cannot be left to the whims of Sindh government dominated by the feudal lords of rural Sindh. The MQM is perfectly justified in demanding substantive powers for local bodies, in particular for Mayors. In fact, not only the Sindh Building Control Authority and Water and Sewerage Board, but the police should also be under the Mayor. Since the creation of a separate province of Karachi is not acceptable to Sindhi-speaking people, the best solution of Karachi’s problems lies in restoration of City District Government Karachi.