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Banana 🍌 republic of Pakistan

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Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, is ruled by many godfathers

Rulers devised controversial administrative arrangements to deny Karachi self-governance for economic gain.

Dr Noman Ahmed
July 17, 2023

THE Economist Intelligence Unit’s rating of Karachi as one of the world’s least livable cities is not surprising. Five categories were reviewed to arrive at this conclusion: stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment, and infrastructure. Karachi’s ranking was an abysmal 169th out of a total of 173 cities.

Karachi may be Pakistan’s largest city, but it has an uneasy existence in this context. It comprises a third of the total population of Sindh. The bulk of monetary resources and revenues originate in Karachi. In order to benefit economically, successive rulers have worked out controversial administrative arrangements to deprive Karachi of self-governing options.

After the 18th Amendment in 2010, Sindh’s chief minister and cabinet have acted like the mayor, deciding on almost every development and management prerogative — from garbage collection to running public transport. City inhabitants have hardly any say in decision-making that is pertinent to their daily lives.

Karachi’s political affairs are complex. It may appear that it is political groups and parties and the military and civilian establishment that call the shots. In reality, there are many more godfathers. Formal and informal developers ensure that whatever they need to keep their businesses going is made available without interruption. So we see unabated land supply for investment, albeit at the cost of farmlands, orchards and dwellings as indigenous settlements are uprooted and people evicted from planned localities and katchi abadis.

Pakistan’s largest city is ruled by many godfathers.
While a few thousand investors accrue exponential profits, millions of people see their lives altered for the worse. Realtors are ably assisted by the city administration, professional engineers, architects, contractors and service providers. Utility agencies bend the rules to extend their services to their schemes.

People in central city neighbourhoods are affected by erratic water supply while some of the remote real estate developments along the M-9 Motorway have no problem in receiving piped water supply.

In public transport, the old-fashioned transporters who ran buses and minibuses are now being replaced by trading enterprises that procure expensive buses and hardware for visibility on the city streets.

Officialdom claims that the bus rapid transit system will revolutionise city mobility, but the reality is otherwise. Even if all seven BRT lines were operational, they would cater to only nine per cent of total passenger trips at a hefty cost of over Rs170 billion.

In fact, BRT benefits large consulting firms, civil and other contractors, suppliers, service providers, etc. Ordinary citizens, especially along University Road and allied locations, are braving the inconvenience caused due to work on the BRT, which will significantly reduce active road space for all manner of vehicles.

Given that thousands of motorcycles and cars are registered every day and carry millions of commuters, how can one justify the exclusive right of way for BRTs ferrying a few thousand? Karachi’s roads are in a state of disrepair, with vehicles and passengers facing huge problems. Commuters frequently display road rage, frustration and helplessness.

Karachi has an ‘elected’ mayor, town council chairmen, union committee chairmen, councillors and other elected representatives who must operate under a legal regime that empowers them. If they are lucky, some funds will be granted to them to operate. These funds are expected to foot essential expenditure.

For management, repair and rehabilitation work, the local government entities will have to approach the provincial government. A familiar tug of war will begin between various tiers of government.

It is, however, possible that elected local entities take a different approach and change the situation to their as well as the city’s advantage. Using the status of their elected office, councillors and UC chairs may consider reaching out to their respective constituents, listening to their problems, and engaging with them.

These elected representatives can also liaise with civil society activists, public-spirited professionals, business and commerce leadership and academia to evolve a platform where core city matters can be debated.

To improve Karachi’s livability, the administration, political elite and business leadership would have to evolve a consensus on core matters.

Defining the metropolitan boundaries of the city, regulating the built environment, documenting and safeguarding heritage, repairing roads, engaging with communities for maintaining law and order, with the assistance of the agencies concerned, and improving water and air quality by controlling pollution can become the starting agenda for this broad-based conversation.
 
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Why do we continue to insult bananas by referring to this country as banana republic. As far as I'm concerned the banana is a fine fruit high in vitamins C, potassium and fiber.

Meanwhile wtf does Pakistan give the world?
 
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Why do we continue to insult bananas by referring to this country as banana republic. As far as I'm concerned the banana is a fine fruit high in vitamins C, potassium and fiber.

Meanwhile wtf does Pakistan give the world?
Pink salt?
 
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Why do we continue to insult bananas by referring to this country as banana republic. As far as I'm concerned the banana is a fine fruit high in vitamins C, potassium and fiber.

Meanwhile wtf does Pakistan give the world?
Generals and their goons who bring their looted money to the west?
 
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"فیض احمد فیض کی نظم جیسے کل لکھی گئ ہو اور آج کے دور کی بہترین عکاسی ھے"

جس دیس میں آٹے چینی کا
بحران فلک تک جا پُہنچے

جس دیس میں بجلی پانی کا
فقدان حَلق تک جا پُہنچے

جس دیس سے ماؤں بہنوں کو
اغیار اٹھا کر لے جائیں

جس دیس سے قاتل غنڈوں کو
اشراف چُـھڑا کر لے جائیں

جس دیس کی کورٹ کچہری میں
انصاف ٹکوں پر بکتا ھو

جس دیس کا منشی قاضی بھی
مجرم سے پوچھ کے لکھتا ھو

جس دیس کے چپے چپے پر
پولیس کے ناکے ھوتے ھوں

جس دیس میں جان کے رکھوالے
خود جانیں لیں معصوموں کی

جس دیس میں حاکم ظالم ھوں
سسکی نہ سنیں مجبوروں کی

جس دیس کے عادل بہرے ھوں
آہیں نہ سنیں معصوموں کی

جس دیس کی گلیوں کوچوں میں
ہر سمت فحاشی پھیلی ھو

جس دیس میں بنت حوا کی
چادر بھی داغ سے میلی ھو

جس دیس کے ہر چوراہے پر
دو چار بھکاری پھرتے ھوں

جس دیس میں روز جہازوں سے
امدادی تھیلے گرتے ھوں

جس دیس میں غربت ماؤں سے
بچے نیلام کراتی ھو

جس دیس میں دولت شرفاء سے
نا جائز کام کراتی ھو

جس دیس کے عہدیداروں سے
عہدے نہ سنبھالے جاتے ھوں

جس دیس کے سادہ لوح انساں
وعدوں پہ ہی ٹالے جاتے ھوں

اس دیس کے ہر اک لیڈر پر
سوال اٹھانا واجب ھے

اس دیس کے ہر اک حاکم کو
سولی پہ چڑھانا واجب ھے _
 
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Listen PDM , aka ... PMLN, PPP, JUI etc etc....
Why did this idea come after ruining the people??

The dollar was 178
Petrol was 145
Diesel was 150
The growth was 6 percent
Import bills were low and exports were increasing
Foreign exchange was 17 billion dollars
Then everything was ruined and given NRO2
Fifteen parties wasted fifteen months
All limits of revenge were crossed
Politics, Journalism, Court, Advocacy, Economy, Society, Constitution, Lives, Wealth, Honor were all destroyed with full force.....

Today
Dollars 315
Petrol 293
Diesel 295
Growth 0.30 %
Debt 23 billion dollars in 15 months
Factories closed Factories closed
Inflation increased by 30%

But everyone remained silent then and today they ask where the people should go??
 
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Until angry mobs do not break into the dangerous duffers homes and make examples out of them, nothing will change. Once that happens they along with their puppets will flee like the cockroaches they are
 
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