Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Convenor of Awam Pakistan Party, expressed deep concern about the deteriorating state of Karachi during an interactive session at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi on Wednesday.
Abbasi criticized Pakistan Peoples People (PPP) for not solving basic bourgeois questions despite having the power in Sindh for the past 17 years.
“After almost two decades in power, OPP has not yet dealt with fundamental problems such as access to clean water. One has to step outside the city center to really understand how robbed Karachi really is,” Abbasi noted.
The event contained a special Q&A session with students who engaged with the former prime minister on topics ranging from governance and political reform to the future direction of Pakistan.
During the session, Abbasi raised concerns about the new Canals project from the Indus River. “This is not a new question. I visited Sukkur in November and the people were already concerned. The federal government has failed to clarify how these channels will affect Sindh’s water share,” he said.
He further criticized both the federal and provincial governments for their passivity and lack of transparency, adding that the public remains anxious while the media remains largely silent. “PPP is now part of the federal government; they cannot differ from these questions,” he added.
He called for accountability and called for the Council for Common Interest (CCI) to be called to tackle these issues openly immediately. “The longer we delay, the more confidence we lose between provinces. This lack of clarity is dangerous to national unity.”
When he talked about regional tensions, former Prime Minister India’s recurring strategy of accusing Pakistan of terrorist incidents for getting political advantage and said such tactics serve to mask deeper questions only.
Referring to a recent tragic event in the Indian illegal occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) he said, “Over 26 lives were lost. No one should be allowed to attack unarmed civilians.”
Abbasi also highlighted Pakistan’s internal security challenges and talked about the ongoing question of missing persons. “Today, the Commission has not documented these individuals and the government continues to hide the truth. We owe the nation to bring facts to light.”
In the economy, he criticized the government’s handling of inflation and agricultural policy. “The farmer is suffering.
He also pointed to the lack of transparency in the public sector’s governance and said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has failed to keep politicians and bureaucrats really responsible. “After 25 years, Nab still makes it seem like every politician is innocent. We have to ask how public officials can afford their lifestyle.”
By touching electricity deficiencies and infrastructure holes in Karachi, Abbasi said: “This is a city where electricity consumption peaked between 10.00 and 17.00.
He argued that meaningful reforms of Pakistan’s three major political parties could create national progress, but regretted their failure to deal with the public’s real issues. “Today, almost any opposition party has a certain level of governance, but still no one has appeared as a role model.”
On the subject of democratic values, Abbasi emphasized the need for open political dialogue between politicians and the establishment. “We still fail to adopt democratic norms. National issues must be transparent with the public, not behind closed doors.”
He ended by remembering Pakistan’s troubled election story. “We saw the country break down because the election results were rejected. Each election has been destroyed by manipulation. I have contested ten choices – no two were ever the same.”
He called for responsible leadership and called on ministers to take the initiative rather than only rely on the Prime Minister for problem solving. “Good governance means taking responsibility at all levels,” he added.
