KARACHI: Opposition parties on Wednesday strongly criticised the Sindh government of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as well as Karachi’s civic administration for their “failure” to manage the recent monsoon rains.
As parts of the city face yet another urban flooding crisis, opposition leaders said that the disaster was not solely a result of natural causes, but rather the consequence of years of negligence and misuse of public funds intended for drainage and infrastructure development.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) expressed serious concern over the damage caused to Shahrah-i-Bhutto and several sections of the new Hub Canal during the latest spell of monsoon rains, blaming the PPP government for widespread corruption and poor planning.
In a strongly worded statement, MQM-P leaders said the PPP’s “bogus and corrupt projects” had failed to endure even the first significant downpour, which exposed the provincial government’s incompetence and negligence.
Muttahida, PTI, Jamaat, JUI-F and PML-N question performance of ruling PPP and its local govt set-up
The party further alleged that the Sindh government ignored international environmental assessment guidelines during the construction of Shahrah-i-Bhutto. As a result, the Malir River “reclaimed” land along the newly built road and washed away entire sections.
Highlighting the collapse of the New Hub Canal, which was constructed at a cost of Rs12 billion, MQM-P leaders pointed out that the project did not last even twelve weeks.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) held the Sindh government and Karachi mayor responsible for what it termed a “complete administrative failure.” PTI Sindh chapter president Haleem Adil Sheikh said that overflowing streams and reservoirs had inundated dozens of neighbourhoods.
“Malir River is in spate, Gadap is facing flash floods, and Thado Dam has overflowed, sending water into homes. Areas including Sohrab Goth are submerged, and traffic on the M-9 was suspended for hours,” he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also questioned the performance of both the Sindh government and Karachi’s mayor, claiming that the root causes of the city’s issues lie in mismanagement and corruption—problems that must be addressed before any real progress can be made on civic matters.
JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar, while visiting several rain-affected areas of Orangi Town, stressed that Karachi is the economic backbone of the country yet its citizens are deprived of even the most basic facilities.
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl also condemned local representatives in Karachi and accused them of focusing more on “photo opportunities than the worsening crisis.” Party spokesperson Muhammad Aslam Ghouri lambasted the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), led by Mayor Murtaza Wahab, for what he described as a total failure in fulfilling their responsibilities, calling Mr Wahab “one of the most unsuccessful mayors of this century.”
Even the PPP’s key ally at the Centre, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), criticised the Sindh government over “poor governance and alleged corruption.” In a statement, PML-N Sindh spokesperson Asad Usmani urged the CM to reflect on his own performance rather than deflecting blame.
“Murad Ali Shah should examine his own shortcomings instead of pointing fingers at others,” he said.
Referring to the PPP’s 18-year rule in Sindh, Mr Usmani described it as a period marked by “inefficiency and failure,” and lamented that the party had “tarnished” the legacy of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2025