THIS is with reference to the report ‘Removal of illegal billboards ordered’ and the accompanying picture (Metro-South, May 21), which brought to mind all the previous attempts to rein in the un-

controlled spread of billboards in Karachi. Who will believe that Karachi was once a beautiful and orderly city before the so-called developers and builders changed it from a serene horizontal sprawl to a vertical chaos. Like other sectors, billboard business, too, became phenomenally lucrative.

It was in 1993 that a Chief Minister’s Aesthetic Committee (CMAC) was formed to play its role in the dual task of stopping any further debasing of the city in the name of beautification, and setting standards of aesthetics to be followed by sponsors and civic agencies.

One of the tasks was to rid the city of unchecked outdoor advertising. The billboard business was among the most lucrative in which the outdoor advertising agencies were hand-in-glove with civic agencies. Being the CMAC secretary, I was approached by the Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA) and asked to cooperate.

When I refused, I was threatened. “You will continue to run a small advertising agency, but we will be back in a big way and your aesthetic committee will eva-porate in thin air!” The threat was spot on. With the change in government, the CMAC was sent packing not much later.

In 2018, the billboards were removed on the orders of the Supreme Court, and Karachi was breathing once again. One could at least see the trees and the facades of buildings. But, in due course, a new kind of outdoor advertising sprung up, and things were back to square one. Let us see how and when the latest ‘order’ is followed and executed, and for how long.

S.M. Shahid
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2026