Tabish Hashmi slams authorities for lapses following Gul Plaza fire

WEB DESK: Following the deadly Gul Plaza blaze, comedian and talk show host Tabish Hashmi has sharply criticised the administration and political leadership of Karachi, highlighting the city’s persistent infrastructural and governance failures.

Speaking on the deteriorating conditions in the metropolis with Geo News, Hashmi warned that Karachi’s challenges are far more severe than those faced by other major global cities, including London.

“While large cities worldwide deal with occasional crises, in Karachi, even small incidents often escalate into major emergencies due to poor infrastructure, high crime rates, and a lack of basic services,” he said. Hashmi compared Karachi to Lahore and London, noting that issues like sanitation, street lighting, security, and sewerage remain inadequate, severely impacting residents’ daily lives.

He also called out political and administrative authorities for avoiding accountability, pointing out that compensation for victims of disasters frequently comes from taxpayers’ pockets, reflecting systemic negligence and repeated failures in city management. Hashmi stressed that without urgent reforms, Karachi’s citizens will continue to face recurring crises that could be prevented with proper planning and oversight: “When it is time to compensate the victims, we must remember that it also comes from taxpayer’s pockets so the leadership has pretty much nothing to lose,” he said. As someone who interviewed Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Hashmi felt that apologising and then pinning the blame on another body reflects how non-serious the administration is.

“In any other country, those in power would resign at such an atrocity but not in Pakistan, so I think we need to make a standard that if a certain incident takes place then the person responsible will have to resign,” he said.

The remarks come amid ongoing discussions about urban governance and city planning, as experts and citizens alike demand stronger oversight, better infrastructure, and accountability from Karachi’s leadership to prevent further tragedies.