MQM-P calls for bringing Karachi under federal administration

MQM-P leader and Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Thursday called for Karachi to be placed under federal control, claiming that the 18th Constitutional Amendment has led to what he described as the “genocide” of the city’s residents.

Addressing a press conference at the party's Bahadurabad office in Karachi, Kamal said the city had been pushed to the brink due to poor governance. He said that repeated tragedies and loss of lives showed that Karachi’s situation had become unbearable.

“This city was not like this. How much more blood will be shed and how many more incidents will people have to endure? What is happening to the residents of this city is genocide,” he said.

The federal minister said that verbal assurances held no value and stressed that MQM was among the country’s major political parties and understood its responsibilities. “We demand from the state that Karachi be declared part of the federation,” he said, referring to Article 148 of the Constitution.

Kamal criticised what he called a trend of shifting blame whenever issues related to Karachi are raised.

He described the present situation as “open democratic terrorism” and asked how many more people must die in fires or fall into open gutters before action is taken. He said residents were left with no answers or reassurance as basic civic failures continued.

Kamal said the Sindh government responds to criticism by raising past incidents such as factory fires or extortion cases, questioning whether that justified ongoing failures. He also criticised the quota system in Sindh, alleging it had contributed to the marginalisation of Karachi’s population.

He said the prime minister was unable to take meaningful steps for Karachi due to political compulsions, as the federal government depended on the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party. “They need the PPP to run the government, and we are the ones dying,” he said.

Calling for urgent intervention, Kamal said Karachi could no longer remain under its current administrative setup. He demanded that the city be declared a federal territory under Articles 148 and 149, designated as the country’s financial capital, and placed directly under federal authority. He also called for an end to what he termed the “drama” of the 18th Amendment, saying it had become a serious problem for the country and should be abolished immediately.