When Karachi’s Leadership Enters the Global Spotlight: A Tale of Two Mayors

When New York City elected Zohran Mamdani as its new mayor in November 2025, the headlines were dominated by his historic profile: the city’s first Muslim mayor, the youngest in over a century (age 34), and a bold progressive platform that shook up metropolitan politics.

But somewhere a world away, in Karachi, Pakistan, a parallel narrative was stirring. Murtaza Wahab, the city’s own mayor since 2023, has embarked on an infrastructure- and service-delivery-heavy agenda. That agenda is now being lifted up in Pakistani media as a kind of beacon: if New York is changing, then maybe Karachi is part of that change too.

According to media commentary in Sindh, the provincial leadership has drawn a direct line from Karachi’s “wave of change” to New York’s electoral shift. The Chief Minister of Sindh is quoted as saying:

“The change that started from Karachi city… has now reached New York.”

This article explores how these two mayors are being embroiled in a broader story—about youthful leadership, infrastructure delivery, global metropolitan learning—and what it might mean for urban governance both locally and internationally.

Zohran Mamdani’s historic win in New York

Zohran Mamdani burst onto the national stage with a campaign that many political watchers described as unlikely to succeed. Yet he did succeed—dramatically. On November 4, 2025, he captured 50.4 % of the vote in the New York City mayoral election, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

His campaign focused heavily on affordability, housing, transit, and working-class concerns. Among his key promises were fare-free buses, a freeze on rent-stabilised units, universal childcare, city-owned grocery stores, and raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030.

Prior to that, he had stunned political observers by defeating Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June 2025—a campaign described as being powered by young voters, grassroots mobilisation, social-media savvy and a desire for something new.

But his win also brings challenges. As analysts note: his lack of executive experience, the complexity of running the world’s largest city, entrenched governance structures, and political divisions mean that turning bold promises into delivered outcomes will be no small feat.

Murtaza Wahab’s Karachi agenda: infrastructure and delivery

In Karachi, Murtaza Wahab has positioned himself as a mayor intent on visible infrastructure delivery, citizen-service improvement, and urban renewal. One of the projects often referenced is the Karimabad Underpass (University Road/Karimabad area), which is widely covered in local media. According to reports, the underpass is 1,080 metres long, two-plus-two lanes, initially budgeted at Rs 1.35 billion but later cost revised to Rs 3.81 billion.

Wahab is cited as saying the underpass will be completed in “one and a half to two months” (as of September 24, 2025).

The narrative around this project is mixed: while some media praise the ambition and the schedule, others point to delays, cost escalation, and concerns over whether the promise will be kept.

Nevertheless, for Pakistani civic-leaders and media, the underpass (and other such projects) serve as a symbol of municipal competence: timely execution, visible change, improvement of citizen lives. That symbolism now becomes part of the broader narrative linking Karachi to global cities.

Why the connection? Integrating two city narratives

The question arises: why is Karachi’s leadership being referenced in relation to the New York mayoral election? Several reasons:

Youth and novelty of leadership
Both mayors represent a generational shift—young, progressive (or reform-minded), willing to challenge status-quo governance. That parallel is appealing to commentators in Pakistan who are keen to show Karachi is part of global modernisation.
Visible infrastructure and delivery as brand
Infrastructure projects like the underpass become shorthand for “we get things done”. In Karachi’s case, that becomes part of the marketing of the city: “we are delivering for citizens”. When New York elects a mayor who promises rapid change, the narrative becomes: look, Karachi did similar things and now the world notices.
Global city-to-city learning and aspiration
Cities today are part of global networks. Mayors meet, share best practices, compete for investment, generate brand value. Karachi being referenced through the lens of New York suggests that Pakistani city governance is entering this global loop.
National‐pride dimension
For Pakistan, there’s a dimension of national pride: when the world’s major city elects someone and the local media connects it back to Karachi, it asserts Pakistani local governance has relevance. The quote from the Sindh Chief Minister articulates this explicitly: Karachi’s change has reached New York.
Media narrative and social media amplification
In the age of social media, soundbites travel. A statement (even if not fully verified) about New York’s mayor being “a big fan” of Karachi’s mayor or referencing a Karachi project garners attention, strengthens civic branding, and feeds into diaspora engagement.

Examining the claim: Did Mamdani actually say this?

Your original message states: New York’s newly elected mayor “said that he is a big fan of Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab. The way he completed the University Road/Karimabad underpass in a short time, he will work in New York in the same way.”

In our search, there is no publicly verified major media article that quotes Zohran Mamdani saying exactly that. While Pakistani media emphasise a favorable comparison, the direct quote referencing the underpass specifically is not clearly found in mainstream international coverage.

Therefore, if this statement is to be used in a formal or public communication, it is advisable to either:

Qualify it (“According to Pakistani media” or “as reported in local media”)
Verify with a direct source (local Pakistani news outlet)
Or craft it as “It has been reported that…” rather than asserting as fact without citation

That said, the metaphor stands: the notion of speedy infrastructure (underpass) and efficient delivery is part of the narrative linking the two mayors.

Implications for Karachi’s civic branding

This link between Karachi and New York offers Karachi’s leadership several opportunities:

International collaboration and recognition
Karachi could leverage this moment to pitch cooperation with New York or other global cities: urban planning exchange, infrastructure consultancy, diaspora business forums.
Domestic credibility and narrative building
For citizens, “our mayor is being noticed globally” is a powerful story. The motto “the world is a fan of our mayor” builds trust, pride and momentum for further reforms.
Investment and business-partnering potential
Infrastructure and service-delivery successes help position Karachi as an emerging urban investment destination. The narrative helps attract attention to Karachi’s potential, not just its problems.
Elevating urban governance discourse
The story encourages local governance to think in terms of delivery, accountability, visibility of projects—not merely announcements. It reinforces that visible wins matter.

But with these opportunities come risks:

Expectation vs. reality
If the narrative emphasises speedy delivery, then any delay, cost escalation, or unfinished project becomes conspicuous. For example, the Karimabad underpass’s cost increase and delayed schedule could undermine the narrative if not managed.
Over-marketing without substance
Citizens may grow skeptical if only show-projects are delivered and underlying systemic issues (drainage, traffic, public transport, governance transparency) are not addressed.
Comparative mismatch
While it’s appealing to reference New York, equalising Karachi’s scale and complexity with New York can create unrealistic expectations. The messaging should focus on “principles” (speed, delivery, citizen-focus) not simple replication.

From symbol to substance — what both cities must deliver

For both Karachi and New York, the narratives now create high expectations. If we take the metaphor of the underpass and speed of execution further, then for effective governance, they both must deliver nine core things:

Clear project planning and timelines
Delivering visible infrastructure (roads, underpasses, transit) requires realistic timelines, transparent disclosure of progress, and communication of delays.
Budget transparency and cost control
Cost escalation (as seen in Karachi’s underpass) leads to credibility losses. For global narrative-value, cost discipline matters.
Maintenance and long-term impact
Building infrastructure is one thing; maintaining it and ensuring it serves citizens for decades is another.
Equity and inclusion
Infrastructure and service improvements should benefit all citizens, not only certain neighbourhoods or classes.
Communication and media management
Part of the narrative is telling the story — of completing projects, of delivering results, of listening to citizens. New York’s campaign did precisely this through social media and grassroots outreach.
Scalable systems, not just one-off projects
The risk is focusing only on marquee projects. The underlying governance systems (procurement, regulation, citizen feedback) must modernise.
Cross-city learning and collaboration
If Karachi is looking internationally, then establishing institutional links — city-to-city partnerships, exchange programmes — helps convert narrative into substance.
Accountability and follow-through
Civic leadership needs to show follow-through on promises: deadlines met, public updated, performance tracked.
Realistic messaging
Messaging should align with capacity and context: saying “we will do in six months what took years elsewhere” may excite but can set up failure.

The bigger story: Why urban leadership matters globally

Why are we paying attention to mayoral narratives across 7,000 miles? Because cities are now major actors in the global economy, climate systems, migration, infrastructure investment and governance innovation. The story of two young mayors—one in Karachi, one in New York—connects to several global trends:

Urbanisation and citizen expectation
As more people live in cities than ever, urban leaders are held accountable for what governments used to handle at national levels (housing, transit, climate, social services).
Global connectivity of cities
Cities no longer operate in isolation. They compete for talent, investment, innovation. They call each other “partners” or “rivals”. The idea that Karachi is being compared to New York illustrates this.
Representation and identity
Mayors like Mamdani and Wahab being young, diverse, reform-oriented reflect changing demographics and expectations of leadership.
Infrastructure as political capital
High-visibility projects become political statements. The narrative of the underpass in Karachi is one such example—and if New York’s mayor references that kind of project, it underscores how infrastructure equals credibility.
Symbolism meets performance
While symbolic victories (young mayor, first Muslim mayor, flashy underpass) are important, they enter a feedback loop with performance and delivery. If symbols deliver, they become sustainable narratives. If not, they become critiques.

The message for Karachi’s civic communication

For Karachi’s leadership and communications teams, this moment can be leveraged effectively:

Message framing: “Our model is gaining recognition internationally.” A headline like “When the world’s biggest city elects a leader drawing inspiration from our approach, our city is being noticed globally.”
Use concrete examples: Reference infrastructure projects like the Karimabad Underpass (with caveats about status and finish dates) as proof-points of delivery mindset.
Link to global networks: Use the mention of New York to signal that Karachi is part of global urban governance conversation, not just local.
Align with legacy, trust, innovation: These themes—legacy (since the city has long history), trust (in delivery), innovation (new approach)—map neatly to your earlier note about emphasising trust, innovation, quality.
Prepare for scrutiny: With attention comes scrutiny. Messaging should be backed by credible updates, transparency, acknowledging delays if any, celebrating milestones properly.
Call to action: Invite citizens, investors, diaspora and global city peers to engage with Karachi: “Join us on the journey of transformation.”