The possibility of a political confrontation in Karachi has increased after Mayor Murtaza Wahab ordered a comprehensive audit of the funds of all 246 Union Councils (UCs), raising tensions with opposition Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) town chairmen. The Mayor issued a letter to the Director General of Local Council Audit directing a detailed financial review to ensure transparency in the three-year fiscal performance of the UCs.
The special audit, which the Local Council Department has been instructed to initiate immediately, aims to examine how the allocated funds have been spent over the past three years. Mayor Wahab emphasized that the audit is essential for verifying the allocation and utilization of the monthly Rs 12 lakh provided to each UC, and he described a complete audit as mandatory to obtain an accurate financial picture.
Financial details provided by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) officials indicate that from June 2023 to September 2024, a total of Rs 1.96 billion was disbursed to the UCs on a monthly basis. From September 2024 onward, the payment was standardized at Rs 12 lakh per month, totaling Rs 4.42 billion. Initially, UCs received Rs 5 lakh monthly, which was later increased to Rs 12 lakh and most recently to Rs 13 lakh per month. During the Rs 5 lakh period, each UC drew Rs 80 lakh, and in the Rs 12 lakh period, Rs 1.80 crore was released.
In total, each Union Council has received approximately Rs 2.60 crore over the last 31 months, with the city’s 246 UCs collectively receiving over Rs 6.39 billion during this period. The audit is expected to shed light on fund allocation, expenditure patterns, and overall financial management, potentially escalating political tensions between the Mayor and opposition leaders.
