KARACHI: It appears that few members of the Sindh Assembly are concerned about the damage that Cyclone Nilofar may inflict on the province’s coastal areas.

On Tuesday when a lawmaker raised the matter of precautionary measures taken by the government ahead of the approaching storm, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani was quick to hush the matter away.

“It looks like Nilofar could be a lady's name,” Durrani joked.

When the lawmaker insisted that the House should know of the safety measures taken in this regard, the Speaker assured her that nothing could harm Karachi as long as Abdullah Shah Ghazi's tomb was near the sea.

“(Saint) Abdullah Shah Ghazi has saved us many times before and he will save us this time as well,” he said.

Durrani went on to say those afraid of ‘Nilofar’ could move towards the Sindh’s countryside.

Severe tropical cyclone Nilofar, which officials say is intensifying gradually, is expected to hit parts of Pakistan and India in coming days.

According to an advisory placed by the Met department at its website, the cyclone is located at latitude 15.5°N and longitude 61.9°E, about 1,140 kilometre south-southwest of Karachi and 1,060 kilometre south of Gwadar.

The cyclone, which started developing in the northwest Arabian Sea five to seven days ago, is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Sindh’s coastal areas.