HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Move­ment-Pakistan (MQM-P) lawmakers from Hyder­abad have urged powers that be to ensure consultation with stakeholders of the city so that relief activities could be started.

Speaking at a news conference during their visit to Latifabad on Thursday, they said that they would not leave people and traders of the city in the lurch. MPA Sabir Kaimkhani said that only a normal rainfall had led to inundation of main roads and they were still not cleared of rainwater. He said arrangements by Sindh government and local bodies department remained inadequate.

He stated that still many streets were under rainwater after Wednesday night’s rain and regretted indifferent attitude of Hyderabad mayor and ministers towards the city.

He wondered that all these people were showing satisfaction over the present state of affairs. “Hyderabad had witnessed 200mm of rainfall in the past, and when MQM controlled the LG, it had accorded a priority to maintaining the drainage system. Since then, such attention has been missing,” he noted.

He maintained that Kashif Shoro has been the Hyderabad mayor for the last three years and enjoyed full support of the federal and provincial governments but “he hoodwinked his party chairman by declaring Hussainabad’s closed filtration plan functional”. Kaimkhani said that Autobahn Road [development] was not mayor’s project as he was claiming. Rather, it was an old scheme on which MQM-P was also consulted, he added.

He said that for the last five-10 years, the authorities right from UC chairmen to mayor and ministers, were from same party but they could not give a single example of even a pumping station having been upgraded.

He said the mayor was only paying lip service and neither he nor Sindh government was doing anything. He said that Hyderabad city was ignored in mega projects. He also wondered that HMC officers were posted with PPP’s approval but the mayor was exercising their powers in a questionable manner. He said that the CM was asking people to remain indoors, but without explaining how would daily wage earners feed their families.

The MQM-P leaders also strongly criticised Hesco CEO and demanded his removal for being a nontechnical officer.

Kaimkhani said that due to his ineptness, the city used to remain without power for long durations.

MPA Rashid Khan recalled that traders of the New Cloth Market had borne losses worth Rs20m to Rs30m in the previous spell of rainfall. He demanded compensation to be paid to these traders. He added that his party would not remain silent if people of this city remained in trouble.

Published in Dawn, August 22th, 2025