Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that it is not acceptable to cause suffering to the people through protests, due to which the Sindh government has decided to clear the roads for traffic.
Speaking to the media while inspecting water projects in Karachi and Thatta, he said that the Parachinar crisis was a humanitarian tragedy as people were facing shortage of food and medicine.
He mentioned that the Sindh government is providing medicines and aid to the affected area, but the problem is primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and should be addressed there.
Regarding the ongoing protest in Karachi, the Chief Minister said that initially the protesters were allowed to hold a peaceful sit-in. However, as their power increased, they stopped traffic movement, causing inconvenience to the public.
“Our senior [PPP] Leaders including Saeed Ghani, Murtaza Wahab and Waqar Mehdi interacted with the protesters, urging them to end the sit-ins peacefully.
Shah said administrative steps were taken to vacate eight of the 12 protest sites on Tuesday morning, while four remain occupied.
The Chief Minister admitted that organizing the protest may cause some disruption but assured that the government has no intention of harming the protesters.
He said that efforts will continue to engage in negotiations and resolve the situation amicably. He asserted that it is unacceptable for the Sindh government to cause pain to the people while supporting the right of peaceful protest. He declared that the sufferings of the people should end.
He also revealed that Karachi’s water supply system is being improved under a $1.6 billion program with World Bank support, including operational upgrades and expansions to increase efficiency.
After inspecting the rehabilitation work on the existing Hub Canal and the construction of a new canal on Tuesday, he noted that an on-site inspection provided better insight than reviewing progress from an office setting.
He claimed that the speed of development of Sindh is more than other provinces and even the federal government. He pointed out that despite Sindh providing half of the funds for the Jamshoro-Sahoon road project, the completion of the road is delayed while Sindh has successfully completed several major projects using its own resources.
Shah revealed that Karachi’s water supply system is being improved under a $1.6 billion program with the support of the World Bank. “The program includes operational upgrades and expansion to increase efficiency,” he said, adding that the World Bank had assured financial support on the condition that management reforms were implemented.
Speaking on the issue of new water canals on the Indus River, the Chief Minister asserted that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has never been silent on the water rights of Sindh. “If someone refuses to listen, what can we do?” he said while emphasizing that People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari have referred to the protection of Sindh’s share in water resources. He has clearly stated his position.
Shah reiterated the provincial government’s commitment to improve public services and tackle key challenges such as water supply and infrastructure development.
He concluded by encouraging citizens to support government initiatives and urged everyone to contribute to the development of the province. “Sindh’s journey of development will continue,” he said, expressing optimism for a prosperous 2025.
The chief minister said that the biggest problem of Karachi is water shortage, which the Sindh government is determined to solve under the leadership of PPP, we have launched several projects to meet the water demands of the city. , and the provincial government is fully committed to their timely completion. Completion,” he maintained.
He said that the work on Hub Canal is progressing rapidly and it is expected to be completed by December 2025.
Shah explained that the Hub Canal project involves upgrading hub pumping stations, increasing capacity from 80 mgd to 100 mgd and rehabilitating old infrastructure. He said that once the new hub canal is completed, the water problems of Karachi, especially in the western and Kemari districts of the city, will be significantly reduced.
In Thatta, the Chief Minister reviewed the progress on the KB Feeder project. He said that 40 percent of the work on the project would be completed by the end of 2025. He said that this project will provide 260 million gallons of water per day to Karachi.