• Muttahida MPA says city needs 200 fire stations but has only 20
• Efforts underway to improve fire brigade, Minister Lanjar tells house
• Resolution for general university in Karachi rejected
• Lawmakers remember martyrs of APS Peshawar, East Pakistan

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday voted unanimously in favour of an oppositionsponsored resolution that called for the comprehensive modernisation of Karachi’s inadequate and substandard firefighting system.

MPA Qurat-ul-Ain of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, who moved the resolution on ‘private members’ day’, told the house that Karachi presently had only 20 fire stations, 36 fire tenders, four snorkels and roughly 700 staff.

She said that the city of over 20 million people actually needed at least 200 stations and 34,000 staff.

She pointed out that Karachi’s population and the number of highrise buildings were growing, while the existing fire brigade system remained substandard and inadequate to handle any emergency.

The MPA highlighted the urgent need to upgrade equipment, improve response times and expand staffing to better protect the city’s residents from fire hazards.

She said that a modern, wellequipped fire service was essential for public safety and urged the provincial government to allocate the necessary resources without delay.

She called for swift implementation of the resolution once passed.

Supporting the opposition member’s resolution, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar conceded that the fire brigade in the city was in dire need of modernisation.

“All efforts will be made to improve the system,” he assured the house.

The resolution noted that Karachi, as the country’s largest metropolis and its financial hub, was exposed to significant fire risks because of its dense population, bustling commercial activity and a complex basic infrastructure.

It said that there was an urgent need to modernise the existing system so that emergencies arising from fire outbreaks could be responded to effectively.

“This house resolves to urge the provincial government to upgrade the firebrigade system, take immediate steps to meet international standards and strengthen its capacity to handle disasters”, the resolution concluded.

The resolution was put to a vote by the chair and it was carried unanimously.

Martyrs of East Pakistan remembered

At the outset of the proceedings, the house offered fateha for the martyrs of the Army Public School Peshawar and the East Pakistan tragedy.

The house, through a resolution of an opposition member, unanimously paid a heartfelt tribute to the martyrs of the 1971 war and to the Bihari community, who fought alongside the Pakistan Army and gave their lives defending the nation.

Supporting the resolution, tabled by MQM-P’s Ejaz-ul-Haq, Minister Lanjar paid tribute to the martyrs of East Pakistan.

However, Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah expunged some remarks of the MQM-P member after Pakistan Peoples Party member Ghulam Qadir Chandio said that the opposition member’s speech had given an impression that only one community had made sacrifices.

Resolution for empowered LG system withdrawn

MQM-P’s parliamentary party leader Taha Ahmed Khan withdrew his resolution calling for amendments to Article 140-A of the Constitution to strengthen constitutional guarantees for local governments after the law and parliamentary affairs minister assured the house that a committee would be formed to examine the issue.

A resolution, tabled by MQM-P’s Syed Adil Askari, seeking establishment of a general university in Karachi was rejected with majority votes.

The house also rejected a resolution of MQM-P member Muhammad Aamir Siddiqui regarding concerns over the condition of streets and internal roads across the city.

Besides, the resolution of MQM-P Qurat-Ul-Ain Khan seeking enactment of laws to prevent immorality in the society was also rejected by the house with majority vote.

Later, the house was adjourned to Friday.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2025