By Aziz Khatri
KARACHI: Karachi’s mayor, Murtaza Wahab, has called on MQM-P leaders Mustafa Kamal and Khalid Maqbool, both members of the provincial cabinet, to secure a substantial development package for the city. Speaking to the media, Wahab highlighted ongoing efforts to restore Empress Market, one of Karachi’s iconic landmarks, while expressing concern over the neglect of other historic sites that have been allowed to fall into disrepair.
He drew attention to the plight of the Densu Hall building, which once housed Karachi’s first public library, established during the British colonial era in 1886. The building was closed to the public in 1980 and repurposed as office space. Wahab criticized the 2007 decision to hand over the building to a private party, a move that kept the historic site inaccessible to the public for over a decade, only reopening its doors again in 2023.
His remarks pointed to a broader pattern of neglect for the city’s heritage, urging authorities to preserve these cultural treasures. Addressing urban challenges, Wahab turned to Karachi’s persistent parking woes, particularly along the bustling M.A. Jinnah Road. He noted the prevalence of triple parking, which contributes to congestion, while lamenting that the Karachi Municipal Corporation collects no parking fees in this area.
To tackle the issue, he proposed introducing regulated, single-lane parking to improve traffic flow. He also called on citizens to follow traffic rules more rigorously, drawing comparisons to behavior seen abroad, where adherence to laws is more consistent. On the political front, Wahab acknowledged the complexities of local governance, noting that some parties, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, close public parks in their areas to allocate land for universities.
