While the concerned residents watch in silence, the city of Karachi falls from one low to another. Karachi, once hailed as the “City of Lights” and the economic powerhouse of Pakistan, has once again been ranked among the bottom five of the world’s least liveable cities in the 2025 Global Liveability Index by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The metropolis ranked 170 on a list of 173 countries — just above Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus — and had a score of 42.7 on the index score, with a score of 100 being the “most liveable”.

Karachi’s fall from a model metropolis to one of the least liveable cities is a story of systemic governance failures, lack of ownership, haphazard and rapid urbanization, and indifferent attitude of its residents to a greater extent.

This consistent low ranking reflects the city’s long-standing and deep-rooted challenges. The decay is on all accounts. There is not a single segment which can be rated as anywhere near to being satisfactory - be it civic amenities, local government organisations, law and order situation, environment, public health and education.

Decaying roads, insufficient public transport, and lack of urban zoning have led to........

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