How to deal with the issue of Sindh and how to release Karachi from the grip of the Zardari PPP waderas is one of the most important problems that Pakistan faces today. With Karachi being the most populous city in Pakistan and its industrial and financial center, the city is critical for Pakistan's economic growth.
The country will never be able to realize its economic potential without Karachi being released from the control of the Zardari PPP waderas.
The Pakistani establishment has tried to make life easy for themselves by handing over Karachi to Zardari permanently. No matter who the people of Karachi vote for the city is always controlled by PPP through their provincial assembly seats in rural Sindh. They have no sympathy with the people of Karachi and basically loot the city non-stop, turning it into a dump.
The 18th Amendment to the constitution of Pakistan have handed most administrative powers to the provinces, turning them into semi-autonomous countries, independent of the federal government. The constitution provides for local governments, but this has not been implemented in defiance of the law.
The federal government, therefore, has little power in Karachi, and the local government is toothless. Everything is controlled by the provincial government and that is controlled by the Zardari mafia.
There are many ways of liberating Karachi from PPP.
- Full Reforms. New constitution in Pakistan that creates 32+ provinces. This way Karachi becomes a separate province.
- Limited Reforms. Only a few new provinces are created, like South Punjab and Karachi.
- Karachi is declared a federal territory.
- PTI wins a majority in the Sindh assembly.
My preferred option is number 1, because the whole country needs fixing, not just Karachi. But assuming that PTI is not bold enough to implement revolutionary changes in Pakistan, there is a way to gain control of the Sindh assembly.
The main way that PPP keeps control over Sindh is by conducting fraudulent censuses.
In the 2017 census Karachi's population was counted as 15 million, when in reality it is closer to 25-30 million.
Population Distribution in Sindh According to Census 2017 (Population of Karachi: Reality vs Expectation) (Downloadable PDF)
If you include Hyderabad then Sindh's urban population is probably 65-70% urban. The seat distribution for the provincial assembly should reflect this if a free and fair census is conducted.
If/when PTI wins the elections and comes back to power one of the first things it should do is to hold a census in Sindh and then force an elections for the Sindh assembly.
PTI is likely to win a majority in the Sindh assembly, and will be able to carry out development activity in both rural Sindh and Karachi.
They should also get rid of the 18th Amendment and create local bodies based on international norms, so that local governments can work properly. For example, in other countries the police is always in the control of local governments, not the provincial government, like in Sindh.
The warlords of Sindh, like Zardari and the PPP waderas will threaten a Sindhudesh movement if they see their power slipping, but that is a separate issue and will need to be dealt with by the army.