ISLAMABAD: Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said on Sunday that 62 percent of Karachi's Rs1.1 trillion development package will come from the central budget, a day after opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari alleged that the provincial government would bear the lion's share of the fund.
The package was announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday as he visited the mega city a week after torrential rains and massive urban flooding devastated its infrastructure.
"The total funding for the list of projects shared yesterday and the responsibilities assigned amounted to a 62 percent share of the federal government and 38 percent of the Sindh government," Umar said during a press conference.
A social media post shared by Bilawal on Saturday claimed that most of the spending would come from the provincial government which is dominated by his party.
"In the clip, he is complaining that the Sindh government is putting forward Rs800 billion, whereas the federal government is only footing a cost of Rs300 billion," Umar said as he requested that stakeholders keep all political differences aside for the success of the city's development plan.
The plan aims at addressing within three years Karachi's problems with drinking water, damaged sewerage and drainage systems, circular railway, roads, and waste management. The plan would be implemented through the Provincial Implementation Coordination Committee (PCIC) consisting of representatives from the federal government, provincial government and the army.
Karachi, a city of over 15 million people has for years been facing various municipal problems, many of which have roots in its complicated governance system. Three parties are the main stakeholders in the capital of Sindh province.
In the city's division of power, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has a majority from its constituencies in the provincial assembly. The assembly itself, however, is dominated by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which also rules the province. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), meanwhile, runs the Karachi city government.