Parking mafia in Karachi—I

How an Illegal System Became a Parallel Economy

A governance failure in plain sight

Karachi presents a rare paradox: officially, there is no paid parking in most KMC jurisdictions, yet billions of rupees are collected every year from motorists. This contradiction is not accidental; it reflects a deeply entrenched, well-coordinated illegal parking system involving mafias, enforcement agencies, and municipal neglect.

This is not an allegation against individuals; it is a systemic failure documented repeatedly in media reports, court observations, and daily public experience.

1. The official position (on record)

• The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has issued notices and statements at different times declaring:

• No parking fee is authorised in most city areas

• Contractors are not permitted to collect roadside charges without approval

• Despite this, illegal collection continues openly and uninterrupted.

Law on paper vs reality on streets.

1. How the parking mafia operates

A. Territory Control

• Busy commercial roads divided into 100–150 metre “parking patches”

• Each patch assigned to a collector

• Operations run daily, mostly cash-based

B. Fake Authority

• Collectors issue:

• fake or unregistered receipts

• slips with no KMC stamp or serial verification

• Public is told:

• “Police will fine you if you don’t pay”

C. Daily cash flow

• Short-stay vehicles (banks, markets, clinics) targeted

• Small amounts per car — huge daily totals

• Money distributed through an informal chain at day’s end

Scale: When multiplied across Karachi, collections reach hundreds of millions to billions annually outside the public treasury.

1. Role of law enforcement & municipal staff (systemic, not personal)

Media investigations and civic complaints consistently report:

• Karachi Police

• Selective enforcement

• Ignoring illegal collectors

• Acting against citizens who resist payment

• Municipal and Cantonment areas

• KMC and cantonment jurisdictions both affected

• Overlapping authorities create accountability gaps

• Each agency deflects responsibility to another

Without protection or collusion, this system cannot survive.

1. The “No Parking” Tow Scam

Another abuse runs parallel:

What Happens

• Vehicles picked up from vaguely marked “No Parking” zones

• No on-the-spot evidence shown

• Cars towed aggressively, often damaged

• Heavy fines imposed for release

What is missing?

• Photographic proof

• Proper challan issuance

• Right to immediate appeal

International Practice

In civilised countries:

• A ticket is issued first

• Evidence (photo/time/location) is provided

• Towing is a last resort, not a revenue tool

In Karachi, towing appears punitive — not corrective.

Saeed Rasheed (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026