KMC Irregularities Probe Sought Over Rs7.5 Billion
A lawmaker has called for an investigation into alleged financial irregularities in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), seeking scrutiny of Rs7.5 billion allocated for 188 development schemes. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Deputy Parliamentary Leader Taha Ahmed Khan made the demand in a letter to Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Nisar Khuhro, The Express Tribune reported on Saturday, October 31.
Taha, who is also a PAC member, asked for transparency in development tenders worth Rs15 billion to Rs16 billion issued during the current financial year. He also sought an inquiry by the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team into KMC development schemes and the tendering process.
The letter alleged irregularities and interference in the award of development contracts. Taha claimed that assertions about billions of rupees being spent on development projects remained confined to official documents, while the city’s roads stayed broken, civic facilities stayed inadequate and pensions went unpaid. He further alleged that development projects were being used to benefit select individuals at the expense of public money.
These are allegations made by a political representative, not findings of an inquiry. The KMC’s response to the specific claims was not reported. The probe itself is what Taha has asked for, and it is that request, rather than any proven wrongdoing, that forms the news here.
KMC irregularities probe: what is being asked
The demand has three parts. First, an investigation into how Rs7.5 billion earmarked for 188 KMC schemes was used. Second, transparency in the much larger Rs15 billion to Rs16 billion tender programme for the current financial year. Third, an inquiry by the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team into both the schemes and the tendering process.
The PAC route matters. As a PAC member writing to the committee’s chairman, Taha is using an oversight channel designed to examine public spending. Whether the committee takes up the matter, and what the inspection team finds if it is asked to inquire, will decide whether the allegations lead anywhere.
Karachi’s residents will recognise the backdrop. The city lives with broken roads, poor civic facilities and unpaid pensions even as large sums are announced for development. That gap between announced spending and visible results is the heart of Taha’s complaint.
A pattern of scrutiny for Karachi’s civic bodies
The call for a KMC probe follows other recent scrutiny of Karachi’s civic spending. On October 30, Feature Pakistan reported that the Sindh PAC, chaired by Nisar Khuhro, had ordered a probe into non-functional machines at Sindh hospitals, including KMC-run hospitals, with a one-month report deadline from the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team.
That earlier order shows the same oversight machinery at work: the PAC, the inspection team and a fixed reporting deadline. If the new KMC demand follows the same path, Karachi residents could see a formal report rather than only a political exchange.
The wider lesson is about documentation. Taha’s charge is that spending exists on paper but not on the ground. An inquiry that compares tender documents, payments and physical work on the 188 schemes would test exactly that claim.
What happens next
The next step lies with the PAC chairman. If the committee accepts the demand, it can summon records and officials and direct the inspection team to inquire. The inspection team’s report would then show whether the Rs7.5 billion was spent as claimed.
Until then, the Rs7.5 billion figure should be read for what it is: the amount allocated to the schemes under scrutiny, not an amount found to have been misused. The tenders worth Rs15 billion to Rs16 billion are likewise the programme whose transparency has been questioned, not a sum shown to be irregular.
Frequently asked questions
Who has sought the KMC probe?
MQM-P Deputy Parliamentary Leader Taha Ahmed Khan, who is also a Public Accounts Committee member, in a letter to PAC Chairman Nisar Khuhro.
How much money is involved?
Rs7.5 billion allocated for 188 KMC development schemes, plus tenders worth Rs15 billion to Rs16 billion issued in the current financial year.
Has any wrongdoing been proven?
No. The irregularities are alleged by Taha. An inquiry has been sought, but no finding has been reported.
Who would carry out the inquiry?
Taha has asked for an inquiry by the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team, alongside scrutiny through the Public Accounts Committee.
*Source: The Express Tribune.*
