New Karachi mayor vows to ‘rebrand’ Pakistani megacity, work to solve water, sewage, transport issues

• Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui calls on rivals PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami to work with him to uplift Karachi

• Siddiqui’s election has been heavily marred by allegations of rigging and foul play by opposition parties

KARACHI: Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui, the newly elected mayor of Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi, has vowed to ‘rebrand’ the city’s image, saying he would focus his energies in the next four years on fixing intractable water, sewerage and public transport problems.

Siddiqui took oath as Karachi mayor on Monday after a vote heavily marred by allegations of rigging and foul play by opposition parties.

Infrastructure in Karachi is struggling to cope with a growing city where services have for decades been hamstrung by disputes between different levels of government.

Sitting precariously by the Arabian Sea on the edge of a desert, Karachi had a population of only 300,000 in 1947 when Pakistan was carved out of British-ruled India as a home for the subcontinent’s Muslims. Now nearly 18 million people crowd the sprawling port city and most face acute shortages of power, water, housing, transport, education and work.

“It is our utmost duty, to restore the glory of our city, it’s not your city, it’s not my city, it is our city,” Siddiqui told Arab News in an interview a day after his oath taking.

“Our target would be to make Karachi the IT hub of Pakistan. Our target would be to improve the commercial sentiments for the city of Karachi, encourage investors to come into Karachi so that they can invest their money, establish businesses and employ our youth so that they can also earn their livelihood.”

Outlining his vision for the next four years, Siddiqui said he would focus on finding solutions for Karachi’s top three problems: water, sewerage, and public transport.

To address the issue of water, the capacity of Keenjhar Lake and Hub Dam – the city’s sources of fresh water – would be augmented. Siddiqui’s city government also aimed to promote water recycling for industrial purposes and explore desalination as a long-term solution given Karachi’s vast coastline.

He said he would replace old sewerage lines and introduce new technologies such as suction vehicles and jetting machines to clear blockages and ensure effective sewage management.

In terms of public transport, the mayor highlighted the success of existing services like the recently introduced People’s Bus Service, Pink Bus Service, and Electric Bus Service.

Speaking about foreign investment in Pakistan’s commercial hub, Siddiqui said he wanted to attract friendly countries, particularly from the Middle East.

“Karachi has some very fantastic plus points … we’ve not really projected the case of Karachi in the right manner,” he said.

“One area that I will specifically be focusing on is rebranding Karachi, and God willing, if you’re able to rebrand Karachi, we can bring in these foreign companies, we can bring in these foreign friends into Karachi.”

Commenting on the allegations surrounding his election, Siddiqui said his opponents were being sore losers.

“Have you ever heard of anyone who has lost a battle and concedes that yes, I lost,” he said.

“Unfortunately, this concept is unheard of in our Pakistan, people don’t take defeat lightly. So, I don’t expect them to appreciate or congratulate me.”

However, the new mayor called on his rivals, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamaat-e-Islami, to work alongside him to uplift Karachi:

“We all have to work together to serve our city, to serve the people of our city … We will all work together. The endeavor is very clear: to restore the glory of Karachi.”