Sindh Assembly opposition leader and senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Ali Khurshidi has censured the federal government and the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) management over an “unbearable persisting gas crisis in Karachi during peak winter”, declaring that the SSGC has “completely failed to deliver a basic public service”.
In a statement issued from the MQM-P’s Bahadurabad headquarters on Wednesday, Khurshidi said that depriving the city’s residents of gas in severe cold is a grave injustice, and clear evidence of institutional incompetence.
He pointed out that for several consecutive days, gas supply in many parts of the city has either remained completely suspended or available at extremely low pressure, causing acute hardship for the public.
“The situation has become especially distressing for women, the elderly, children and students. In this biting cold, kitchen stoves are cold, and families are being forced to rely on expensive LPG cylinders to meet their basic needs.”
He said it is “deeply alarming” that while gas supply remains disrupted, consumers are still being issued hefty bills running into thousands of rupees each month. “What kind of system is this where people are charged without being provided the service?”
He also said the SSGC’s “poor performance and outdated infrastructure hold citizens hostage every winter, yet neither meaningful reforms are undertaken by the federal government nor does the utility correct its course”. He warned that continued neglect would further erode public trust and intensify citizens’ suffering.
He urged the prime minister and the federal energy minister to take immediate notice of Karachi’s gas crisis, order action against the officials responsible, and issue clear directives to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to the city without further delay.
On January 12, Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh General Secretary Senator Waqar Mehdi had expressed concern over persistent gas shutdowns, loadshedding and extremely low gas pressure in Karachi and various parts of Sindh. In a statement, Senator Waqar Mehdi had said that regardless of whether it is summer or winter, residents of Karachi continue to suffer due to prolonged gas outages, low pressure and loadshedding, causing severe hardship to the public. He urged the federal government to take immediate notice of the ongoing gas shortages in Karachi and ensure prompt corrective measures.
