Karachi, Pakistan’s largest economic hub and haven for migrants is globally recognised for producing one of the most famous social welfare projects in the world, the Orangi Pilot Project. Founded by Pakistan’s social development giant Akhter Hameed Khan, fondly referred to as Dr. Sahib (with support from the then BCCI Foundation), the project mobilised the people of Orangi Town to finance and build their own sewage system. From its conception in 1980, OPP installed 72,000 latrines and 1.3 million feet of sewage lines, slowly transforming Asia’s largest katchi abadi as well as Pakistan’s social development scene.
Under Dr. Sahib’s vision, change began with connecting the neglected communities to municipal offices and eventually evolved into health, micro-credit, women-led enterprise and education over the decades. However, for all that has been written internationally about his revolutionary “research and extension method,” no one has captured the heart of what made OPP different; Akhter Hameed Khan’s down to earth personality that placed community activists at forefront of the project; his quest for life-long learning that attracted seasoned experts such as Arif Hasan, Tasneem Siddiqi, and Shoaib Sultan Khan and fresh blood such as Perween Rehman to his vision; the influence his ideas would have on Pakistani and international agencies alike.
From 1980 till the time of his death in October 1999, he groomed OPP staff to be people-centered, de-centralized in decision making and created an organizational culture that was a “teacher to all.” Through OPP’s Research and Training Center thousands of CBOs/NGO individuals/teams received training on the OPP model and approach and the model was replicated in little towns nationwide. His motto was that OPP is the people’s organisation, its activities and financial budgets transparently available (via monthly reports) for all to see.
As a man of simple living and high thinking, his weekly Friday meetings brought together community members and OPP staff to debate and dialogue on progress. Difference of opinions was valued and listened to. After his death and until Perween’s tragic murder in 2013, this valuable tradition was carried forward. Since 2015, there has been continuous decline in research work, monthly reports, program activities and engagement with local partners.
After 2018, things really started to go astray. The few remaining members who understood the OPP values and institutional culture grew old, fragile, and sick and many others (28 old staff) were summarily fired by the self-imposed new management. The new management’s claim to OPP was based on their affiliation as Perween Rehman’s sister. Dr. Sahib, who had not succumbed to his son’s pressure in 1990’s to make him the deputy Chairperson of OPP because he believed in what he said that OPP was the people’s organisation must surely be watching and wondering.
With time, the management has disbanded the spirit of OPP. Slowly OPP’s activities are ceasing, its voice representing Orangi and Karachi’s people silenced. Where once financial transparency triumphed secrecy, now clouds Board meetings and financial records.
The Board is full of conflict of interest, as the Chairperson has brought her daughter to be “Director All Programs.” Today OPP is a family affair. Competencies are irrelevant, and optics are deployed. The world-famous OPP model conceived by Dr. Sahib is systematically being disbanded by the Chairperson and there are glaring inaccuracies in various interviews that she has given. The OPP is making every effort to remove his name and vision from all its discourse and documentation. To those who loved and admired Akhtar Hameed Khan, these are serious grounds for concern that along with disbanding of the OPP culture, this is now a concentrated effort to make it a family ownership of the organisation.
Pakistan has already lost the tremendous opportunity to expand on the incredible organization that Akhter Hameed Khan and his supporters created. It is time now to revive the people’s institution of OPP by bringing in an independent Board and competent management that understands (and has the ability) to channel the founding vision for today’s needs of the people.
Under Dr. Sahib’s vision, change began with connecting the neglected communities to municipal offices and eventually evolved into health, micro-credit, women-led enterprise and education over the decades. However, for all that has been written internationally about his revolutionary “research and extension method,” no one has captured the heart of what made OPP different; Akhter Hameed Khan’s down to earth personality that placed community activists at forefront of the project; his quest for life-long learning that attracted seasoned experts such as Arif Hasan, Tasneem Siddiqi, and Shoaib Sultan Khan and fresh blood such as Perween Rehman to his vision; the influence his ideas would have on Pakistani and international agencies alike.
From 1980 till the time of his death in October 1999, he groomed OPP staff to be people-centered, de-centralized in decision making and created an organizational culture that was a “teacher to all.” Through OPP’s Research and Training Center thousands of CBOs/NGO individuals/teams received training on the OPP model and approach and the model was replicated in little towns nationwide. His motto was that OPP is the people’s organisation, its activities and financial budgets transparently available (via monthly reports) for all to see.
As a man of simple living and high thinking, his weekly Friday meetings brought together community members and OPP staff to debate and dialogue on progress. Difference of opinions was valued and listened to. After his death and until Perween’s tragic murder in 2013, this valuable tradition was carried forward. Since 2015, there has been continuous decline in research work, monthly reports, program activities and engagement with local partners.
After 2018, things really started to go astray. The few remaining members who understood the OPP values and institutional culture grew old, fragile, and sick and many others (28 old staff) were summarily fired by the self-imposed new management. The new management’s claim to OPP was based on their affiliation as Perween Rehman’s sister. Dr. Sahib, who had not succumbed to his son’s pressure in 1990’s to make him the deputy Chairperson of OPP because he believed in what he said that OPP was the people’s organisation must surely be watching and wondering.
With time, the management has disbanded the spirit of OPP. Slowly OPP’s activities are ceasing, its voice representing Orangi and Karachi’s people silenced. Where once financial transparency triumphed secrecy, now clouds Board meetings and financial records.
The Board is full of conflict of interest, as the Chairperson has brought her daughter to be “Director All Programs.” Today OPP is a family affair. Competencies are irrelevant, and optics are deployed. The world-famous OPP model conceived by Dr. Sahib is systematically being disbanded by the Chairperson and there are glaring inaccuracies in various interviews that she has given. The OPP is making every effort to remove his name and vision from all its discourse and documentation. To those who loved and admired Akhtar Hameed Khan, these are serious grounds for concern that along with disbanding of the OPP culture, this is now a concentrated effort to make it a family ownership of the organisation.
Pakistan has already lost the tremendous opportunity to expand on the incredible organization that Akhter Hameed Khan and his supporters created. It is time now to revive the people’s institution of OPP by bringing in an independent Board and competent management that understands (and has the ability) to channel the founding vision for today’s needs of the people.