Discussion on Karachi’s Urban Future: TKF’s Reception to Honor Dr Noman Ahmed
The Knowledge Forum (TKF) hosted a reception on May 26, 2025, at a local hotel to honor Prof. Dr. Noman Ahmed on his appointment as Acting Vice Chancellor of NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.
The reception brought together academics, civil society leaders, urban planners, and human rights advocates who recognised Dr. Ahmed’s longstanding engagement with grassroots initiatives and his commitment to sustainable development. Discussions focused on issues that continue to shape Karachi’s urban trajectory—climate change, deteriorating civic infrastructure, housing concerns, environmental degradation, and governance failures.
Participants emphasised the urgent need for a unified civil society platform to coordinate responses and to ensure effective monitoring of the Karachi Climate Action Plan. Speakers stressed that fragmented, ad hoc initiatives had often diluted the impact of activism, underscoring the importance of building long-term structures that could guide research, advocacy, and community mobilisation.
Veteran human rights activist Anis Haroon, also a member of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), painted a stark picture of the city’s worsening conditions. She noted that soaring inflation, prolonged power outages, and rising poverty were pushing citizens into desperation.
Reflecting on the achievements of past civic movements, human rights defender Uzma Noorani cited the People’s Resistance movement during the 2007 lawyers’ struggle and the Sahil Bachao Tehreek, which successfully challenged destructive development projects. She argued that these examples showed the potential of collective action to safeguard the city’s environment and civic rights.
Amber Alibhai of Shehri underscored that civil society had generated a wealth of data over the last two decades, which could be strategically used to press institutions for reforms.
Environmental journalist Zofeen Ebrahim echoed this, stressing that Karachi’s challenges must be understood systematically rather than through piecemeal responses.
The discussion also touched on education and climate change. HRCP Vice Chairman Kazi Khizar highlighted alarming statistics about Sindh’s education sector, revealing deep structural neglect with thousands of schools lacking basic facilities and millions of children out of school. Yasir Hussain of the Climate Action Centre drew attention to climate vulnerabilities, including sea intrusion and weak monitoring of the Karachi Climate Action Plan.
Speakers, including Dr. Raza Gardezi, voiced concern over the fragmentation of civil society and urged NGOs to work collectively under a shared agenda.
In his remarks, Dr. Ahmed expressed gratitude to pioneering urban planners such as Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, Arif Hasan, Tasneem Siddiqui, and the late Parveen Rehman. He urged civil society to move beyond issue-specific activism and establish a permanent platform that could sustain dialogue and interventions for the city’s long-term development.
Concluding the evening, TKF Director Zeenia Shaukat emphasised the strategic role of NED University in shaping Karachi’s future. She noted that the university’s leadership must demonstrate both technical competence and social commitment to respond effectively to emerging urban challenges, especially climate change and exclusionary development.
