IT was disappointing to find that Karachi — the economic hub of the country — has been ranked in the annual index of ‘The Economist Intelligence Unit’ among the world’s five worst cities to live in. The unit’s global liveability index for 2022 has ranked Karachi 168th in terms of liveability among a total of 172 cities.

Everyone who has spent some time in Karachi knows that the city is marred by poor urban planning, waste management, water shortage and many other civic issues.

But I did not realise that the situation was this bad that it has become one of the most unliveable cities in the world.

According to the index, Karachi performed poorly on almost all indicators, including stability, education, healthcare, culture, environment and infrastructure.

This is alarming news for the city’s inhabitants and those who own this desolate place. It is a pity that one of the country’s most important cities continues to yearn for attention and development, but the stakeholders and higher authorities remain indifferent to its woes.

Karachi is the economic engine of the country. It is a place that welcomes everyone with open arms, be they citizens coming from other parts of the country, refugees or foreigners.

The city needs a complete overhaul, including major planning reforms and proper attention. It is about time people who care for the city stood up to politicians who get elected from here but are either unaware of the city’s problems or turn a blind eye to them.

Mudassir Ahmed
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2022