The opposition is planning a vote of no confidence against Karachi’s mayor

Opposition Leader of the City Council Saifuddin Advocate on Friday announced plans to move a vote of no confidence against Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, holding him and the Sindh government fully responsible for what he described as continued poor governance and repeated tragedies in the city.

Sindh and the city government have come under widespread criticism after the Gul Plaza inferno, which claimed 79 lives, with growing calls for Karachi’s mayor to step down from his post.

Following the incident, a sharp war of words erupted between the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh, while graffiti appeared in several neighborhoods calling for the city to be placed under federal or military control, further heightening political tensions in the metropolis.

Read: 12 more Gul Plaza fire victims identified using Pakinomist-tagging: Sindh Police

Members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) staged a vigorous protest in the Sindh Assembly criticizing government oversight, alleging illegal constructions and demanding accountability from the Sindh Building Control Authority over the tragedy.

Addressing a packed press conference today, Saifuddin said that Karachi remained in mourning after the Gul Plaza tragedy, yet the ruling elite seemed indifferent to public suffering and remained preoccupied with exhibitions and ceremonial activities.

He said the people of Karachi were increasingly forced to believe that the city had no guardian as cases of negligence and lawlessness continued unabated.

The opposition leader launched a scathing attack on the provincial government, saying residents of Karachi were crushed under water tankers, killed by dog ​​bites and shot dead during resistance to robberies, while criminals roamed freely.

“Governance does not mean holding meeting after meeting. Governance becomes visible only when institutions function on time,” he said, adding that a government could not claim authority if the fire service failed to respond during emergencies.

Read more: Investigation reveals how Gul Plaza fire became a death trap

Saifuddin dismissed the inquiry report prepared under the supervision of the Karachi Commissioner in the Gul Plaza incident, calling it “bogus” and questioning the credibility of the committee. “How can those guilty of negligence conduct an impartial investigation?” he asked.

He claimed that the report tried to hide the facts and protect those responsible, and demanded a transparent inquiry led by the Chief Justice of Sindh or a senior judge in the judiciary.

Also read: Karachi walls demand federal, military control as tensions rise after Gul Plaza fire

Saifuddin held Karachi’s mayor directly responsible for the tragedy, saying that while funerals were taking place in the city, the mayor was in Islamabad attending events and inaugurating exhibitions.

“When a child falls into a gutter, the mayor inaugurates a swimming pool,” he noted.

He warned that if the PPP government failed to remove the mayor, the opposition would move a vote of no confidence against him, adding that preparations for the motion had already begun and contact had been established with political parties represented in the city council, many of whom had assured their support.

Speaking about alleged financial corruption and institutional decay, Saifuddin claimed that the PPP had failed to account for Rs22 trillion. over the past 17 years.

He said that under the Local Government Act 2013, key institutions of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) were taken over, weakening the city government. He also criticized the separation of Rescue 1122 from the KMC and the merging of the fire service into it, calling the move a serious administrative error.

Outlining the opposition’s future course of action, he announced that JI will organize a large city-wide march on February 1 against bad governance and injustice.

Expressing disappointment with the federal government and the MQM-P, he said the only solution to Karachi’s problems lay in an empowered and autonomous city government.