Water shortage, outages during Muharram slammed

Lawmakers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in the Sindh Assembly on Monday criticised the provincial government over the worsening water crisis and prolonged, unannounced power outages in Karachi during Muharram, terming the situation a grave injustice to citizens and mourners.

In a joint statement issued from the party's Bahadurabad headquarters, the MQM-P MPAs said the deprivation of basic utilities during the holy month reflected administrative failure, particularly at a time when large religious gatherings and processions were underway across the metropolis.

They said prolonged load-shedding - ranging from 14 to 18 hours - amid intense heat and humidity had made life "miserable" for participants of majalis and mourning processions.

The lawmakers alleged that a nexus between the Karachi Water and Sanitation Corporation and K-Electric had paralysed large parts of the city, including Surjani, Orangi, Liaquatabad, Malir, Landhi and Clifton, leaving residents struggling for water and electricity.

They further criticised the poor civic conditions along procession routes, pointing to overflowing sewage and the absence of street lighting near imambargahs as evidence of what they described as the Sindh government's negligence.