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Pakistani comedian and TV host Tabish Hashmi has openly criticized government authorities over the recurring tragedies in Karachi. His remarks came following the recent Gul Plaza fire and other incidents that have raised public concern about city management.

Speaking on the program ‘Report Card’, Hashmi said that “there is hardly a home in Karachi that does not have something from Gul Plaza.” He reflected on how, from his childhood to his youth and now in his later years, the associations and institutions in Karachi are slowly disappearing.

Hashmi commented on the Sindh Chief Minister’s recent press conference, where the CM claimed accountability for incidents in the city. Hashmi said that accountability “cannot be achieved through words alone; it requires action.” He stressed that many incidents in Karachi, including fires and accidents, have led to loss of life, yet officials are rarely held responsible.

“Children have died under dumpers, and yet no action is taken against those responsible,” Hashmi said. He added that officials do not lose their positions, their salaries are not cut, and compensation for victims is not paid from their own pockets.

Hashmi compared the situation in Karachi to the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He remarked that the government privatized PIA when it could not run it efficiently. “If the government cannot manage Karachi, then the city should also be privatized,” he suggested.

He proposed that citizens of Karachi—whether Pathans, Baloch, Sindhi, Muhajir, or Punjabi—should come together to take responsibility for the city. “I believe we can run this city well ourselves. If the government cannot manage it, we will do it despite all challenges,” he said.

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