Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has strongly criticised comedian and TV host Tabish Hashmi over his remarks about the privatisation of Karachi and has urged the concerned private television channel to take action.

 

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Sharjeel Memon reacted sharply to comments made on a private news channel about Karachi’s governance and status.

 

Without naming the anchorperson, he used harsh language, calling the remarks “foolish” and “stupid,” and said the speaker lacked understanding of law, history, and the geography of Sindh.

 

Sharjeel Memon said, “The individual who said this had neither studied constitutional law nor understood Sindh’s historical and geographical importance. Such comments showed a serious lack of awareness about Sindh’s constitutional role within Pakistan.”

 

He appealed to the private television channel to conduct an internal inquiry against the anchorperson responsible and to take disciplinary action. “Media organisations must promote responsible journalism and avoid spreading misleading narratives about Karachi and Sindh,” he added.

 

The senior minister stressed Sindh’s key role in the creation of Pakistan. 

 

Memon further said, “Many people who comment on sensitive issues related to Karachi and Sindh speak without proper knowledge of the province’s history and geography.”

 

The controversy erupted after Tabish Hashmi, following the Gul Plaza fire incident, suggested the privatisation of Karachi during a programme on a private news channel.

 

“If the government realised it could not run PIA and decided to privatise it, then Karachi should also be privatised. We, the people of Karachi Pathan, Baloch, Sindhi, Muhajir, Punjabi will handle it ourselves. If this is the current standard of governance, we can run it better, because it cannot be run worse than this,” Hashmi said.

 

The remarks came after a massive fire broke out at Gul Plaza on the night of January 17. The blaze destroyed the landmark shopping mall, a multi-storey complex housing around 1,200 shops selling children’s clothing, toys, crockery, and household items.

 

According to the latest reports, authorities have recovered more than 79 bodies so far, while rescue teams continue search operations.