By Ahsan Mughal
KARACHI: The leader of the opposition in Sindh, Ali Khurshidi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P), said the Sindh government is repeatedly exposing itself over the city’s development mismanagement as the province continues to resist implementing the Karachi Strategic Development Plan (KSDP) 2020.
Speaking outside the Sindh High Court alongside prominent lawyer Advocate Tariq Mansoor and other legal representatives, Khurshidi accused the provincial administration of deliberately stalling the Master Plan, warning that the alternative Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047 is effectively a scheme to seize control over the city’s resources. “Not enforcing the Master Plan notified on 10 October 2018 is proof of ill intent,” he said, urging immediate implementation to protect Karachi’s residents.
Advocate Tariq Mansoor said the court observed with concern that the Sindh government had ignored multiple judicial directives, including orders dated 27 August 2025 and 16 October 2025, which required all 17 relevant department heads to comply with the Master Plan and submit affidavits confirming implementation. “Failure to comply constitutes contempt of court,” Mansoor said, noting that MQM-P submitted a dossier of over 100,000 citizen signatures across twelve volumes to reinforce the case.
Mansoor highlighted the human costs of neglect, citing recent deaths of children due to uncovered drains, a rise in traffic accidents, and health issues arising from poor urban infrastructure. He also claimed that projects under the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047, including PC-1 approvals worth billions of rupees, risk opening avenues for corruption, with evidence to be shared with the National Accountability Bureau.
The opposition demanded federal intervention under Article 149 of the Constitution if the Sindh government fails to act, calling on Islamabad to take over local government institutions and enforce the Master Plan to safeguard the rights of some 40 million Karachi residents. The court has sought responses from all relevant authorities, with the next hearing scheduled for 15 January 2026.
MQM-P reaffirmed its commitment to pursue the case on all fronts until full implementation of KSDP 2020, asserting it will continue to advocate for Karachi’s citizens. Members of the party’s central organizing and coordination committee, including Syed Shakeel Ahmed and Sharif Khan, along with provincial assembly members Abdul Wasim and Ijaz-ul-Haq, were also present.
