KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-islami (JI) on Saturday demanded the abolition of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) over its alleged failure to deliver during the past 12 years.
Speaking at a programme at Idara Noor-i-Haq, JI-Karachi chief Monem Zafar said Karachi had been turned into a big “heap of garbage” due to the provincial government’s decision to centralise the city’s sanitation system in 2014.
He said the sanitation mechanism previously operating under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), towns and union councils (UC) was taken over by the provincial government, but the move had yielded “zero performance”.
“Even after 12 years, Karachi remains buried under garbage and its residents continue to suffer because of this anti-Karachi decision,” he said.
Monem Zafar demands functions relating to garbage removal, sanitation be transferred to towns, UCs
Mr Zafar criticised the city mayor, who is also the chairman of the SSWMB, saying that the board’s annual budget of Rs43 billion was being “wasted due to mismanagement and corruption”.
He demanded that the board be dissolved and its powers transferred to the town and UC level.
He also called for fresh garbage collection contracts to be signed with town administrations and said contractor payments should be subject to verification by town chairmen.
The JI leader further demanded a forensic audit covering the board’s 12-year performance, as well as details of billions of rupees collected under the Municipal Utility Charges and Taxes (MUCT) meant for the KMC.
He said the PPP government, which has ruled Sindh for nearly 18 years, had deprived Karachi of its institutions, resources and basic civic services.
“The city’s infrastructure has collapsed, while citizens continue to face serious problems relating to water, transport, roads and sanitation,” he said.
Referring to Article 140-A of the Constitution, Mr Zafar said the provincial government was unwilling to devolve powers and resources to elected local bodies.
He reiterated JI’s stance that Karachi’s issues could only be resolved through an empowered city government with administrative and financial control over all civic institutions.
Speaking on the occasion, Leader of the Opposition in the City Council Advocate Saifuddin said town representatives had recently met SSWMB officials and conveyed concerns over poor waste collection and sanitation arrangements in various localities.
He warned that if the situation did not improve immediately, JI would launch a protest movement.
Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2026