MQM legislators suspend proceedings with fierce protest over worsening water shortage in city
Opposition leader Ali Khurshidi said several areas, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Orangi Town, were facing severe water shortage. PHOTO: VIDEO RECORD
KARACHI:
Tempers flared and proceedings descended into chaos in the Sindh Assembly on Monday as lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) staged a fierce protest over the growing water crisis in Karachi, turning the house into a shouting arena where sloganeering drowned out official business and even Question Hour became impossible to conduct.
The session, chaired by Vice President Anthony Naveed, witnessed unprecedented uproar as MQM legislators rose from their seats and chanted slogans demanding immediate restoration of water supply in the parched neighborhoods of Karachi.
The assembly hall resembled a fish market as opposition members refused to allow proceedings to continue, insisting that the city’s growing water shortage be addressed without delay.
Despite the president’s repeated calls to maintain order and proceed with the planned agenda, MQM lawmakers continued their protest, arguing that Karachi residents were enduring unbearable conditions amid intensifying heat and prolonged shortages.
Opposition leader Ali Khurshidi said several areas, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Orangi Town, were facing severe water shortage, adding that citizens were being forced into desperation.
Read more: Karachi’s water problems overflow
“Karachi has become Karbala,” he said, describing the magnitude of the suffering caused by the shortage.
Responding to the criticism, Sindh Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar urged the opposition not to politicize the issue, maintaining that the provincial government was taking practical steps to improve water distribution across the city.
However, he acknowledged that Karachi’s long-term water needs could not be met without the completion of the long-delayed K-IV water project and called on the federal government to expedite work on the plan.
The water crisis continued to dominate the session as legislators from different parties highlighted civic failures through attention notices.
Jamaat-e-Islami legislator Muhammad Farooq expressed concern over worsening sewage conditions in his constituency, while Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah assured the House that drainage and development projects were being carried out in several affected areas.
MQM legislator Shariq Jamal criticized the recurring power outages at Dhabeji and Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) pumping stations, saying millions of rupees had been spent on water supply projects without providing significant relief to citizens.
Responding, Nasir Hussain Shah said multiple development plans in Korangi and Shah Faisal Colony were nearing completion and water and civic infrastructure in those localities would soon be improved.
Amid heated exchanges, the assembly unanimously passed a bill establishing the Sindh Institute of Reproductive Health in Karachi.
The House also passed an MQM resolution on the burning of houses in Jacobabad and action against police personnel allegedly involved in the incident. The provincial government assured compensation for affected families and promised a formal investigation.
After hours of disruption and tense exchanges, the session was adjourned.
