Pakistan: Drowning Karachi and MQM

SOON after the massive rainfalls that had started from 19th July, suddenly or with a careful mood, Muhajir Qoumi Movement and now Mutahidda Qoumi Movement (MQM) representatives have started their anti Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) campaign. Some news analyst gone on saying that it’s not the case, even though MQM is a govt ally – with govts and never tasted the opposition flair- and it would be trying to address Karachi residents’ electric problems.

This might be true, however, soon after the rainfall the whole anti KESC propaganda didn’t get justified and many feel that there’s something behind the scene. If MQM is sincere about resolving electricity issue they could have looked around the kundas (illegal connections) those are absorbing large amount of electricity without bills. Since last 20 years, after winning so many elections of KESC union, MQM didn't raise single word about the illegal connections.

When I reached Karachi on 22nd July, the massive thrust of rainfall was over but I can see large pool of water from the airport till defence housing authority (DHA) Phase V that all the roads were heavily flooded with rain water. This has alarmed me and I decided to investigate the “good work” done by young Mayor of Karachi – Mustafa Kamal. Few months ago he was termed as 2 or 3rd the best Mayor around the globe by an international magazine but refuted by local media.

I was curious to know his ‘good achievements’ and rainfall was a test case for him. All major roads right from Shahrah e Faisal -the most important route of Karachi used by dignitaries and even the governor of Sind, while on his way to governor house returning from London- has to use the same route, and now it was fully over loaded with water, that had fallen two days ago. If it is case of most important road and main route of Karachi then you could image the other routes and places. Electronic media was showing the house in Mehmoodabad flooded with 3 or 4 feet water and I could see people -simply swimming- in that water to reach their homes. Before the rain, these were the normal lanes, now depicting the scene of small lakes and people were trying to enter their flooded houses.

I was shocked, but the hope remains there that the “talented mayor of Karachi” might have done something for the city irrespective of his party affiliation. Leyaari, the most deprived vicinity of Karachi, is out of MQM’s political reach, so the main stream of water was there and I could see children playing & taking bath in that dirty water. What a fate of this vicinity – even after 62 years of independence neither PPP ruling Janta nor MQM’s mayor pay attention towards their basic rights!

With a hope that district central, a home town of Muhajir residents and the powerful base of Mutahidda Qoumi Movement (MQM), should reflect the better scenario but alas my wish wasn’t come true. Below the Petrolpump (a place in Nazimabad No 2) flyover, I could see the large pool of water and many pedestrians were trying to save themselves from that water. Towards the Baladia - Paposh Nagar road, the ‘underpass’ was almost filled with 4 or 5 feet water and a Suzuki car was floating in that. Unfortunately the most talented municipality officers weren’t able to design the underpass in a way that it shouldn’t store rain water rather than draining it. It is a common thought that MQM has hired all their “affiliates” in municipality soon after wining local bodies’ elections. I didn’t have that much “technical courage” to enter the underpass that was full of water with my small car, so I decided to move towards North Nazimabad.

Where ever I decided to find something that could have been constructed or build by the MQM municipality, with a thought that it should depict the “the-best-effort-of-mayor,” was reflecting entirely opposite scenario. Be it underpasses or dirty water lakes like Gujjrnala or Leyaari naddi (Leyaari Lake) or the houses in far flung areas of Karachi either in Surjani or Model Colony – all were full of rain water and the story remains same as of 20 years before.

Though it is constantly propagated by MQM founder and stalwarts that such heavy rain fall in Karachi, is a natural disaster, and Karachi municipality is helpless in sorting out such issues. However, cities like London where rainfall is daily matter of life, you wouldn’t find scenes like Karachi.

Having looked at the city situation, then I realized that the whole anti KESC propaganda is to divert attention of Karachi residents from the damages of rain or its water especially where there’s a question mark about the productivity of MQM-municipality or its young mayor performance.

Again MQM has saved its face by making KESC - a scapegoat!!!

But how long, MQM could make Karachi residents fool. A time will come, insha Allah, when each one of them should be held responsible for all their mismanagement, funds looting, and especially innocent/poor residents fool!