• Sharjeel announces compensation for family of siblings killed in accident on Rashid Minhas Road
• Says govt will not allow anyone to destroy city’s peace

KARACHI: Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Monday informed the Sindh Assembly that only the dumpers equipped with trackers and cameras would be allowed to enter the metropolis after August 25.

He said this while replying to the criticism of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s lawmaker Taha Ahmed Khan, who strongly condemned the Sunday deadly accident in which two siblings were killed by a heavy vehicle and as the rising influence of the “dumper mafia” in Karachi.

Mr Memon, who also holds the portfolio of transport, termed the incident a tragedy beyond condemnation and said that every parent and every person with a sense of humanity would feel the pain deeply.

He said that immediately after the accident, police arrested the dumper driver and impounded the vehicle. “However, some miscreants, who were clearly terrorist-minded and trained, reached the spot and set seven dumpers on fire. They had planned to spread fear and panic in the city and disrupt peace.”

Mr Memon said that following the incident, emergency negotiations were held with transporters and dumper owners who had blocked the Superhighway in protest, and a written agreement was obtained from them on stamp paper.

“Under the agreement, only the dumpers equipped with modern trackers and cameras will be allowed to enter the city after Aug 25, and the complete record and licence of every driver, regardless of which city they came from, will be checked,” he said.

Commenting on the arson attacks following the accident, he said this was the same old method through which the politics of linguistics and extortion had been promoted in the past, adding that the city had achieved peace after great sacrifices and that this peace would not be allowed to be disturbed at any cost.

He termed the incident an organised conspiracy but made it clear that the government would not succumb to any pressure and would not allow anyone to destroy the city’s peace.

He said that if anyone attempted to spread unrest again, strict action would be taken against them in the manner of “responding to violence with violence”, and the city’s peace would be maintained at all costs.

Mr Memon informed the house that the chief minister had ordered immediate payment of financial compensation to the family of the siblings killed in Sunday’s accident.

Earlier, Taha Ahmed, who is the deputy parliamentary party leader of the MQM-P, expressed deep concern over the dangerous operations of the dumpers, which he said, were spreading death on the streets of Karachi through reckless driving and disregard for human life.

He demanded immediate and strict action against the perpetrators.

Referring to a statement of a transport leader, he said: “The mindset of burning Mohajirs is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”

Reiterating his party’s stance, Mr Khan concluded that protecting lives, ensuring justice for victims and eradicating ethnic bias were fundamental responsibilities of any government, and that the party would continue to stand firmly against injustice in all its forms.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025