NA demands empowered local governments after Karachi’s Gul Plaza tragedy

Running Karachi ‘humanly impossible’ without devolved governance: Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday echoed with calls for empowering local governments (LGs) as lawmakers stressed the need for reforms in the wake of the Gul Plaza fire.

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said repeated fire incidents in Karachi, including the deadly blaze at Gul Plaza, had exposed the failure of urban governance and highlighted the urgent need for an empowered local government system across the country.

Speaking in the National Assembly during a discussion on the Karachi tragedy, Asif said no words could adequately express the grief over the loss of precious lives.

He noted that managing a mega city like Karachi had become “humanly impossible” without devolved governance, particularly in view of frequent fatal incidents, including deadly accidents involving dumpers.

“I am not blaming individuals, I am blaming the system,” he said, adding that excessive concentration of powers at provincial capitals had rendered governance ineffective.

He said that despite the 18th Amendment, authority had not been transferred to the grassroots level in its true spirit.

Speaking on the floor, MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar called for the “creation of more administrative units” for better governance and strengthening local government systems.

“Such a huge burden cannot be shouldered by a chief minister alone,” he said. “These powers should instead be handed over to the mayor, town chairman, UC (union council) chairman”.

He recalled that MQM-P had also advocated for the inclusion of a clause aimed at strengthening local government bodies in a probable 28th Constitutional Amendment.

“Creating an administrative unit is not the division of geography; it is an administrative division, a division of justice and resources,” Sattar maintained.

He assailed the Sindh government for its “inaction, apathy, and corruption spanning over two decades”, which he said led to the Gul Plaza inferno.

Urging people not to politicise the issue of LGs, the MNA asserted that it was “the right of the people of Karachi to question the Sindh government as well as the Centre over where exactly Karachi lies on their list of priorities”.

Sattar claimed that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah arrived at the site of the incident “22 hours” after the fire broke out. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab also arrived late, he said.

The MQM leader said, “This fire was not only in Gul Plaza but in the hearts of the people of Karachi as well”.

Sattar also paid tribute to the firefighter Furqan Ali, who lost his life while battling the deadly blaze.

Across party lines, lawmakers stressed that coordinated action by federal and provincial governments was essential to ensure that such tragedies were not repeated, and that public safety must be strengthened through enforceable laws and effective urban governance rather than temporary expressions of grief.

On the other hand, PPP leader Shehla Raza clarified: “There is an impression being made that there is no local government system in Sindh.

“[But] Sindh is the only province where local government systems are working.”

She also objected to the claims made by MQM-P’s Sattar, stating that “it is not necessary for ministers to show up when such an incident happens”. Staff Report