MQM-Pakistan leader and Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has called on the federal government to assume direct control of Karachi’s administration, asserting the city can no longer be effectively governed under the Sindh provincial system. Speaking at a press conference, Kamal urged the Centre to invoke Articles 148 and 149 of the Constitution to intervene in Karachi’s governance, which he said was necessary given the metropolis’s scale, economic importance, and recent tragedies that highlighted administrative shortcomings. He argued that Karachi, as the country’s economic backbone, should be formally recognised as Pakistan’s financial capital and managed under federal oversight rather than solely by the province. Kamal criticised the 18th Constitutional Amendment, claiming it has been misused to centralise power at the provincial level and weaken local governance, and reiterated his party’s demand for a strengthened local government system. His remarks followed growing public frustration over issues including infrastructure failures and the response to the recent Gul Plaza fire. Critics argue that provincial governance has failed to meet Karachi’s complex needs, while supporters of provincial authority caution against undermining devolution and constitutional norms.
Mustafa Kamal Urges Federal Government to Take Control of Karachi
