KARACHI: As torrential rains inundated the metropolis, claiming lives and crippling daily life, a political storm followed swiftly. Opposition parties, including Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), on Wednesday came down hard on the Sindh government, accusing it of gross negligence and administrative failure.
With flooded streets, power outages and paralysed infrastructure turning the megacity into a “disaster zone”, they said the government’s rainy-day preparedness had been nothing but a washout.
With vast swathes of the city still without power supply more than 24 hours after the downpour, the opposition parties also slammed K-Electric for its repeated failure to keep the lights on.
They maintained that overflowing sewage lines, crumbling infrastructure, submerged roads and a collapsed traffic system had exposed the city’s utter lack of preparedness, turning daily life into a nightmare and governance into a glaring question mark.
Mayor says drainage system built for only 40mm rain received ‘170mm’
The MQM-P called on the government to officially declare Karachi a “calamity-hit city” in light of the “widespread destruction” caused by the rains.
The demand came from senior party leader Dr Farooq Sattar, who cited the massive loss of life, damage to infrastructure and public suffering.
He said the torrential rains had laid bare the provincial government’s chronic negligence, with large sections of the city submerged, sewage systems overflowing and people trapped in their homes.
Dr Sattar also criticised KE for its persistent failures, as several neighbourhoods remained without power even 24 hours after the rain.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s Bahadurabad headquarters alongside opposition leader Ali Khurshidi and other MQM-P lawmakers, Dr Sattar lambasted the Sindh government for its administrative paralysis and failure to protect citizens.
“Despite collecting Rs22 trillion over 17 years, the PPP-led government hasn’t spent even Rs22 to resolve Karachi’s problems,” he said, warning that the government might even impose a curfew to hide its incompetence.
He demanded that federal and provincial taxes be waived for Karachi residents and urged the prime minister to intervene directly.
The MQM-P also took aim at JI, questioning its performance in the city’s union councils amid the crisis.
JI demands Rs500bn for Karachi from PM
Similarly, JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan, while addressing a press conference outside the Gulshan Town office, accused the Sindh government of the Pakistan Peoples Party of being responsible for the post-rain scenario in the megacity and demanded that the prime minister announce a Rs500 billion package for Karachi.
Accompanied by Saifuddin Advocate, leader of the opposition in the city council, Gulshan Town Chairman Dr Fawad Ahmed, Jinnah Town Chairman Rizwan Abdul Sami and others, Mr Khan said that unfortunately the Centre was also trying to shrug off its responsibilities.
“We demand the federal government give a Rs500bn package for Karachi and we demand the Sindh government release Rs2bn each to all towns in Karachi in order to handle the post-rain situation,” he said.
“The people of Karachi lost their lives in rain-related incidents. Citizens, including women and students, faced immense problems. And then there’s K-Electric, which takes billions of rupees from Karachiites but behaves criminally in situations like this,” he added.
Mayor blames climate for current situation
Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab, meanwhile, linked the city’s rain-related chaos to the broader impact of climate change, stating that extreme weather is now a global phenomenon affecting major cities such as New York, Dubai and Mumbai.
Speaking at a press conference at Frere Hall, he said that parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir had also suffered recent climate-related disasters.
About the recent rainfall, the mayor said Karachi received over “170 millimetres” in just 12 hours on Tuesday, with Manghopir recording a peak of “235mm”.
He acknowledged the difficulties faced by citizens but emphasised that Karachi’s drainage system is designed to handle only up to 40mm of rainfall, making the situation unmanageable under such extraordinary conditions.
He said two major spells of rain occurred — one in the morning and another lasting from 1:15pm to 6:30pm — followed by intermittent showers throughout the night.
He claimed that main roads were largely cleared by early afternoon and praised the administration’s prompt drainage response.
He urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rains and assured that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation remained active on the ground.
“With public cooperation, we managed to stabilise the situation,” he said.
Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025
