Can Imran change Karachi’s political dynamics?

Has dynamics of Karachi's politics changed with the passage of time and with new realities or it still revolves around old issues like fear, insecurity and injustice ?

The electoral shift in 2018, from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in the last elections provided opportunity to Prime Minister Imran Khan to win over Karachi above ethnic consideration. Can he be able to change the dynamic of the city during his tenure as the real economic hub of Pakistan and take the long-awaited ownership of country's economic hub that he has often committed to more than once. Let’s wait and see.

Karachi often suffered due to the power imbalance involving the Federal, Provincial and City governments which dented city's development.

The Prime Minister has constituted a committee headed by the Governor, Sindh Imran Ismail and comprising members from PTI and its ally MQM-Pakistan to speed up the development work falling under the federal government.

Unlike the past, the provincial government’s reaction raised the hope for a better Karachi. Sindh Minister Nasir Hussain Shah has assured that neither his party nor government would create hurdles. Though it may not be as easy as it looks, it still is a step in the right direction.

It could have been even better if the federal, provincial and city governments formed a 'joint committee'.

For the first time since 1970, Karachi has voted for a party which formed government at the centre, and the PTI now has the space and opportunity. So, it is better if federal government defuses tension which seems imperative in the aftermath of JIT report involving PPP leadership.

PTI and MQM-P can make a difference if they work together. Karachi has multiple issues, but without knowing the exact population of the city, it may not be easy to plan and develop the city where half of its population lives in irregular and illegal 'katchi abadis.' The controversies revolving around a census in the city should be the first priority of the federal government and it should take up the matter with the Supreme Court where petitions against Karachi's census have been pending for past several months.

How can you plan the city without knowing the exact population? Around four million aliens who have been living in the city for years are not included in the census.

Speaking ideally as well as realistically, Karachi, like any other metropolis in the world, should be under one Umbrella — Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Mayor. But due to political dimension and dynamics particularly in the last 40 years, the powerful state apparatus and narrow political approach always created hurdles.

Unfortunately, the party which once had the unprecedented mandate to represent Karachi's case also failed and indulged in activities which not only damaged the party, its voters and supporters but also Karachi as a whole.

With the passage of time not only MQM's political dynamic but also of Muhajirs and Karachi have changed. The efforts to unite the four factions of the MQM have failed mainly because of leaders egos.

The MQM’s politics of the past particularly with issues like rising militancy, extortion and corruption also changed the character of this once dominant middle class party.

The 2013 elections were a wake-up call for MQM but their leaders didn’t learn and as a result they lost their hold in 2018, and irrespective of the allegations of alleged

manipulation in election results, the fact remains that PTI emerged as a strong alternative with its bipartisan political narrative.

Thus the Karachi voters including a strong Muhajir vote bank, particularly the youth and the families, switched the trend over to a centrist party instead of the past tradition of supporting religious or ethnic parties.

It is a dilemma that the PPP has not been able to win over Karachi or urban Sindh despite having strong presence in Karachi. The Muhajir politics in the 70s revolved around quota system in admissions and jobs, identity crisis beside insecurity. Some of these issues are no more relevant, today. Quota system had been abolished in 2013 as the government did not go for its extension for another 10 years.

Similarly with more private college and universities and private jobs available in the market, the Muhajir youth are no more inclined towards CSS or government jobs which once use to be quite attractive options. Besides, they also look for private small or big businesses here or abroad.

Though politics of Karachi does not merely revolve around Muhajirs as it is now the city of nearly 30 million with a strong presence of other communities, it is still afflicted with the old mindset that is believed to be was one of the reasons for alleged manipulation in the census.

The Jamaat-e-Islami which once controlled Karachi had suffered badly on the electoral front despite their repeated attempts. The Jamaat needed review of their overall political approach but something went wrong at the national as well as Karachi and urban Sindh levels.

Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) led by former MQM leaders like Syed Mustafa Kamal, Anis Qaimkhani and others did came out with something new and tried to attract the non Urdu speaking segment but it was branded as establishment's party. Same had happened in the past with MQM (Haqiqi), though PSP came with much different narrative.

Perhaps PSP could have been more acceptable had they joined hands with PTI, as the later not only showed interest in forming an electoral alliance but also wanted seat adjustment.

Credit must go to MQM-P that even in the worst condition they at least managed six NA and 20 MPA seats from urban Sindh, but still far behind PTI which won 14 out of 20 NA seats from Karachi.

Muhajir politics’s decline was very much on the card and expected. Perhaps, they missed best opportunities like they had when were coalition partners of different governments particularly during time of former President (retd) General Pervez Musharraf.

(The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of GEO, The News and Jang. Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO)