Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab’s response to the death of an eight-year-old boy who drowned after falling into an uncovered manhole has been strikingly tone-deaf. His insistence that the matter should not be politicised is not merely inadequate; it is unacceptable. Municipal governance falls squarely within the mayor’s remit and within that of the political party he represents. Holding an elected administration accountable for failing to meet basic civic responsibilities is not petty politics. It is the very purpose of politics.

This is precisely the kind of issue that must be politicised. To dismiss criticism as partisan point-scoring is disingenuous at best. The tragedy in........

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