Pakistan’s Cities on the Brink

Ali Nawaz Rahimoo

Umerkot: The skylines of Pakistan’s cities are changing and not for the better. What were once peaceful residential neighborhoods now echo with the noise of traffic, unchecked commerce, and relentless construction.

In cities like Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad, corner shops have morphed into multi-story plazas, and single-family homes into high-rise buildings. This rapid transformation, often mistaken for development, is in fact a symptom of deep-rooted governance failure.

Over the past two decades, Pakistan has experienced an unprecedented surge in urban population.

According to ADB, in 1998, less than one-third of the population lived in urban areas. By 2023, that figure had risen to over 39 percent.

Projections by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics suggest it will approach 50 percent by 2050. Yet city administrations have largely failed to prepare for this growth.

Instead of forward-looking urban planning, we’ve seen reactive, piecemeal approaches that have allowed — even encouraged — the rampant commercialization of residential zones.

Entire streets are being transformed overnight, often without formal approvals, zoning changes, or environmental assessments.

In Lahore, more than 30 percent of commercial properties violate zoning laws, according to a 2022 Urban Unit Punjab report.

In Karachi, the figure is even higher — over 40 percent of newly built commercial high-rises breach building codes. These violations continue unchecked, enabled by weak oversight, fragmented institutions, and political patronage.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/a-climate-of-urgency-for-pakistans-farmers/

One major problem is institutional chaos. In many cities, up to five different development agencies and cantonment boards operate with overlapping jurisdictions. Each has its own rules and priorities.

The result?

Confusion, delays, corruption, and decisions driven by private deals rather than public good.

There’s no denying the demand for commercial space. Pakistan’s economy is diversifying. Its real estate sector is booming.

The construction industry alone contributes around 2.5 percent to GDP and employs over 7.5 percent of the national workforce, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. But much of this growth is taking place in legal grey areas — zones where outdated laws are ignored or manipulated.

Take Lahore again. The Lahore Development Authority issued over 12,000 commercialisation permits in just five years.

But thousands more businesses continue to operate without any legal cover, placing enormous stress on public infrastructure from overloaded sewers and damaged roads to water shortages and uncollected garbage And this is not just a big-city problem.

Smaller cities like Sahiwal, Gujrat, Bahawalpur, and Abbottabad are also urbanising rapidly — but with even fewer tools and resources to manage that growth.

The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) estimates that urban sprawl in these secondary cities is eating up agricultural land at a rate of 1.5 percent per year. If left unchecked, these cities risk repeating the same mistakes, losing both their identity and their ability to grow sustainably.

Attempts at regulation have been made. The Punjab Commercialisation Policy (2001–2020) was designed to bring order to land-use changes. Some provinces have introduced zoning laws and tried to modernise planning systems. But most of these efforts fall apart under competing pressures: the desire to regulate growth vs. the urge to generate revenue. When planning departments become more focused on income than long-term impact, it is citizens who pay the price.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/dying-in-silence-as-the-taps-betray/

Worse still, the very institutions meant to uphold the law often undermine it. Development authorities and local governments clash or look the other way, while accountability remains rare and transparency almost nonexistent.

So, what’s the way forward?

Pakistan needs bold, coordinated urban reform. A single, modern Urban Planning Act should replace the current patchwork of outdated and conflicting regulations. Institutional roles must be clarified, and loopholes closed.

Real-time data should drive zoning decisions. Digital tools can help enforce laws more transparently and reduce corruption.

Public-private partnerships can play a constructive role in addressing housing shortages and transport challenges — but only if properly regulated. And most importantly, urban development must be rooted in community engagement. Cities are not just markets or construction zones. They are spaces where people live, work, and connect.

Unregulated commercialization is not just an aesthetic issue or a matter of bad traffic. It reflects a system that is failing its citizens. If current trends continue, Pakistan’s cities will become increasingly unlivable, unequal, and unsustainable.

The time for incremental fixes is over. What’s needed now is a strategic, whole-of-government approach to urban planning — one that prioritizes people over profits and sustainability over short-term gain.

We must act before chaos becomes the new normal.

The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.

The writer is a social development professional based in Umerkot Sindh. He can be contacted on anrahimoo@gmail.com.