Anjuman-e-Tajiran warns of economic decline, unveils ‘reform agenda’

KARACHI: The Anjuman-e-Tajiran Karachi has resonated a sharp warning over the deteriorating economic and civic conditions in the city, saying that Pakistan’s commercial capital risks permanent decline without urgent collective action, announcing a reform agenda.

In a formal statement here on Monday, Javed Shams, the President of Anjuman-e-Tajiran Karachi, announced a five-point reform agenda covering business growth, infrastructure, utilities, public services, and urban cleanliness, urging the business community, government, and civil society to act together.

“Karachi is the engine of Pakistan’s economy, but that engine is stalling,” he said. “We can no longer afford to watch this city deteriorate. The time has come to fight together to save and rebuild it.”

Shams placed business promotion and job creation at the center of his agenda, saying industrial and commercial growth was the only sustainable way to reduce unemployment among the city’s rapidly expanding youth population. He called for the removal of barriers to trade and fresh investment in Karachi.

The Anjuman-e-Tajiran president also pointed to the city’s crumbling roads, lack of reliable public transport, and outdated urban infrastructure as serious obstacles to economic productivity. “No business can thrive when its workers spend hours stuck in traffic and its goods cannot move freely,” he said, demanding immediate investment in modern roads, mass transit systems, and city-wide infrastructure upgrades.

Shams declared access to clean drinking water, uninterrupted electricity, and a consistent gas supply to be fundamental rights of every Karachi citizen and preconditions for economic activity.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026