Budget: JI assails govt for ‘neglecting' Karachi
Speaking at a press conference held at Idara Noor-e-Haq, he said that Karachi was conspicuously missing from the list of federal priorities.
Flanked by several town chairmen, Monem Zafar Khan demanded an allocation of Rs 500 billion for Karachi's development, along with Rs 2 billion for each town and Rs 2.5 million for every Union Council (UC), in order to address the city's pressing issues.
Highlighting the severe water crisis in Karachi, he said the K-IV water supply project — vital for the city's future — appears to have been sidelined by the federal government. Although Rs 40 billion were requested, the budget allocates just Rs 3.2 billion for the project, despite its scheduled completion by June 2026.
He pointed out that while the Water Resources Division was allocated Rs 133 billion, the K-IV project's share amounts to only 2.5 percent of that total.
The JI Karachi chief denounced the federal budget as a 'jigsaw puzzle of statistics' that ignores the city's core issues. He noted that the Karachi IT Park, launched in 2022 and expected to complete by 2026, received only Rs6 billion — a figure he described as 'peanuts' in relation to the scale and importance of the project.
He further criticised the reduction in the Higher Education Commission's budget from Rs 65 billion to Rs 39.5 billion, and condemned the 18 percent tax imposed on the solar energy sector, calling it a severe blow to an emerging industry.
Monem Zafar Khan lambasted the federal government for failing to complete several critical transport projects in the city, including the Green Line Bus, 20-bus Orange Line, and the Red Line.
He stressed that Karachi has long been deprived of its fair share in resources, despite being the financial lifeline of Pakistan. Referring to historical trends, he said that while Sindh received Rs 178 billion from the federal government in 2007-08, the allocation has now increased to Rs 1,853 billion. Yet, the provincial government continues to centralise power, ignoring the urgent need for administrative and fiscal devolution.
Monem Zafar Khan also turned his attention to what he described as rampant corruption and poor governance in solid waste management, particularly under the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He accused the Sindh government of outsourcing Karachi's waste management to inefficient and corrupt contractors, leading to severe issues during Eid-ul-Azha.
He shared specific examples, including the case of a JI-run town that submitted its Eid waste management plan well in advance. The Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) responded only two days before Eid, disregarding all local recommendations and issuing outdated instructions.
In another case, while the SWMB committed to sending 15 pickup vehicles, only 10 were dispatched on the day — raising questions about the misuse of funds allocated for vehicles, staff, and fuel.
The JI leader also narrated an incident where a town chairman lodged a complaint with the mayor about waste management failures. Instead of holding the contractor accountable, the mayor suspended the town's Deputy Director of Solid Waste, he said.
In a scathing indictment, Monem Zafar Khan also accused the MQM, PPP, and PML-N of complicity in a 'fake census', which, according to him, cut Karachi's population in half. This undercounting, he said, has serious consequences for resource allocation and representation.
He also highlighted the disparity between the government's treatment of the poor and lawmakers.
'On one hand, 100 million Pakistanis live below the poverty line. On the other, the government has approved a six hundred percent increase in the speaker's allowances and over 140 percent salary hikes for lawmakers,' he stated.
Monem Zafar Khan urged the federal government to revise its approach and recognise Karachi's pivotal role in the national economy. He called for transparent governance, fair distribution of resources, and greater autonomy for local administrations to ensure the city's problems are addressed effectively.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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