Karachi is a mega city with a population of about 18 million. Literature and case studies tell us that its problems are similar to those of other megacities in the South. These problems include illegal land conversions, use of funds acquired through coercion and contraband trafficking for real estate development, turf wars between rival real estate dealers and promoters,  evictions,  a large demand-supply gap in housing, and a strong anti-poor bias in planning and policy-making.  Yet, Karachi is different because three important aspects of the city interact with each other in a region currently in conflict. The first aspect is related to Karachi’s strategic location in the regional conflict related to the Afghan war. The second is its immense economic power in the context of Pakistan in general and of Sindh province, of which it is the capital, in particular. And third, its migrant population far outnumbers its native Sindhi and Balochi speakers. To understand Karachi’s land and governance-related issues, an understanding of these three aspects of the city, is necessary.

In 2001,  the  Sindh  Local  Government  Ordinance  (SLGO)  created the city district of Karachi and divided it into 18 towns, each having its own elected Nazism (mayors). In addition, the city also had an indirectly elected Nazim.  Before the SLGO  was enforced,  Karachi was a division headed by a commissioner.  The division was divided into five districts, each headed by a deputy commissioner. The commissioner and deputy commissioners were bureaucrats of the provincial (Sindh) government. Of the five districts, one was rural and consisted of goths (villages) and their pasture lands. With the SLGO, the rural district became a part of three of the new towns(Gadap,  Keamari, and Bin Qasim) created under the SLGO. As a result, a large area, previously rural, was opened up for urban development.  In 2009, the SLGO was suspended and the old system consisting of five districts was re-enforced.  However,  the rural status of the previously rural district has not been maintained and through the process of the Goth, a bad Scheme (explained in Section 2.2) villages are being turned into urban settlements.