By Ahsan Mughal
KARACHI: Stakeholders in Karachi have warned that the city’s transport system is on the brink of collapse, calling for a comprehensive mass transit program to serve its more than 35 million residents.
The warnings came during a seminar titled “Karachi Transport: Burning Issues and Solutions,” chaired by Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Monem Zafar Khan. The event brought together lawmakers, senior bureaucrats, transport officials, and civil society representatives.
Monem Zafar said the provincial government had failed to implement initiatives it should have completed 15 years ago. He described the city as “handed over to mafias” while public problems mount. He criticised the mismatch between heavy traffic restrictions on the Northern Bypass and the unchecked operation of Qingqi rickshaws. He also noted that Karachi University once operated more than 45 buses, but now only 20 remain.
DIG Traffic Syed Pir Muhammad Shah said that last year saw 814 traffic-related deaths, although recent measures had reduced fatalities by an average of 23 lives per month over the last six months. He identified deep-sea port traffic and unfit vehicles—estimated at 70 percent of all vehicles—as major causes of congestion. Encroachments, he added, continued to obstruct roads and worsen traffic jams.
Other speakers included Dr Zafar Fatmi, Dr Tauheed, Dr Iqbal Afridi, Ismael Baloch, Adv Iqbal Inayat, Engr Imran, Adv Shazia Manzoor Mughal, and Jabbar Khatak, who highlighted issues ranging from traffic enforcement to sustainable transport planning.
The seminar concluded with a unanimous call for urgent government action, insisting that Karachi requires thousands of buses, wide roads, and a robust public transport system to avert worsening gridlock.
