Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has announced that a committee is being formed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the recent death of a child, who had fallen into a manhole near Nipa Chowrangi.
Speaking in the provincial assembly on Tuesday, Shah termed the incident deeply distressing, and warned that strict action would be taken against anyone found negligent. He said representatives from all the parliamentary parties in the PA would be included in the investigation committee, along with senior officials. He added that the incident has shaken the collective conscience of society, and that the committee would be formed with the PA speaker’s cooperation.
Meanwhile, on private members’ day in the House, several opposition motions were passed. However, a resolution by Jamaat-e-Islami MPA Muhammad Farooq regarding e-challans in Karachi was rejected by the speaker on the grounds that the matter is sub judice, and related discussions were expunged from the assembly record.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon defended the government’s measures, arguing that traffic management and accident reduction initiatives are improving public safety, and must be respected.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MPA Amir Siddiqui presented a private resolution addressing natural gas curtailments in Karachi. The government supported the resolution, which was adopted with the amendment that it should address gas shortages across all of Sindh, rather than Karachi alone.
Siddiqui highlighted that Karachi’s gas supply remains insufficient, and urged the chief minister to raise the matter before the Council of Common Interests. He also criticised the Sui Southern Gas Company for failing to improve local infrastructure despite significant payments. Memon supported the resolution, terming it a vital issue for the whole province.
Pakistan Peoples Party MPAs, including Ghulam Qadir Chandio and Jamil Soomro, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA Shabbir Qureshi emphasised Sindh’s entitlement to the gas resources produced within the province, noting systemic injustices in resource distribution. After debate, the PA unanimously adopted the resolution addressing gas shortages across Sindh.
The PA also unanimously passed a resolution presented by MQM-P MPA Farah Sohail promoting women’s skill development, with the government’s support. Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho stressed the importance of vocational skills for women.
Women Development Minister Shaheena Sher Ali added that training programmes are being run in collaboration with statutory bodies for women, including those in prisons and shelter homes, to empower them and advance societal progress.
JI demands
A large number of Karachiites, including rights activists, and social and political workers, held a protest against the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) mayor and the Sindh government over the Nipa incident that claimed the life of three-year-old Ibrahim.
The demonstration was organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi chapter. Carrying placards and banners, the protesters shouted slogans against the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) government, and demanded that the city mayor resign.
JI city deputy chief and City Council opposition leader Saifuddin Advocate said Karachi has been bleeding since long, and another innocent life has been taken in the latest tragedy.
He demanded that those responsible for the “murder”, directly or indirectly, be nominated in the FIR, asking the chief minister to take serious action against the culprits. He said children’s deaths in the city’s manholes have been made the new normal, and it is totally unacceptable.
“University Road, the nullah, the sewerage line, the manhole — all are the responsibility of the KMC headed by Mayor Murtaza Wahab. The mayor couldn’t be reached even 12 hours after the tragedy, but was spotted the next day while inaugurating the heating system in a swimming pool.”
The JI leader said the PPP has been facilitating feudal lords to maintain their clutches on the resources of the city in particular and the province in general. He demanded the immediate removal of the mayor.
He said the mayor should have accepted his responsibility instead of playing the dirty blame game, adding that the mayor’s “lame” response shows how visionless the PPP leadership is. “We won’t let the death go in vain,” he vowed, and urged Karachiites to unite for the sake of their future generations.
