Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday stressed that repeated fire incidents in Karachi, including the deadly Gul Plaza blaze, exposed the failure of urban governance. He highlighted the urgent need for empowered local govts across Pakistan.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Asif said no words could describe the grief over the loss of precious lives. He noted that managing a mega city like Karachi had become “humanly impossible” without devolved governance.
“I am not blaming individuals; I am blaming the system,” he said. He added that excessive concentration of powers in provincial capitals had made governance ineffective.
Asif noted that despite the 18th Amendment, authority had not fully transferred to the grassroots. He emphasized that citizens could only be truly empowered through strong, functional, and autonomous local governments.
“If there is no empowered local govts, there will be no effective fire brigade, no timely emergency response, and no accountability at the neighbourhood level,” he warned.
The defence minister urged lawmakers from all sides to acknowledge that tragedies like the Gul Plaza fire required structural reforms. He said powers must shift from provincial capitals to districts, tehsils, and neighbourhoods for meaningful governance.
Referring to the Gul Plaza incident, Asif said the lack of an effective local system led to poor coordination. Different agencies, including defence and aviation fire units, had to respond in an ad hoc manner, worsening the crisis.
He described the fire as a wake-up call and called for serious parliamentary reflection. Asif emphasized that empowered local govts are essential to ensure effective disaster management and accountability at the community level.
He concluded that unless Pakistan’s 250 million citizens are empowered at the grassroots, parliamentary representation will remain symbolic, and urban tragedies will continue to claim lives.
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