Negligence and corruption kill: Pakistan's Sindh Authorities responsible for deadly building collapse in Lyari

Karachi [Pakistan], July 6 (ANI): Major opposition parties in Sindh, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), have jointly condemned the PPP-led Sindh government and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) for what they described as "criminal negligence" that led to the collapse of a building in Lyari, killing more than a dozen people, Dawn News reported.
At a press conference held at MQM-P's temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Ali Khurshidi, stated that this tragic incident was not isolated, highlighting previous building collapses in the province.
"In this city, illegal constructions are flourishing under the patronage of SBCA officers, and even children are aware of this fact," he said. "The people are dying, yet illegal constructions are still underway. The SBCA officers are receiving billions of rupees in bribes. Karachi has been handed over to mafias; there's a dumper mafia, water mafia, and SBCA mafia. In Sindh, no legal work is possible without bribery. The traffic police have also turned bribery into a business."
Following the incident, PTI Sindh chapter president Haleem Adil Sheikh visited the collapse site and met the affected families. Speaking to reporters, Sheikh held the Sindh government and SBCA directly responsible for the tragedy. He demanded that FIRs be registered against officials in the SBCA and provincial administration, calling the incident "administrative manslaughter." He also urged that each family affected by the tragedy be compensated with Rs 10 million, Dawn News reported.
JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan demanded six months' rent and alternative housing for displaced families, criticising the SBCA's failure to enforce building regulations. Khan accused the PPP government and SBCA of turning the city into a "concrete jungle" through corruption and neglect, Dawn News reported.
The opposition's unified demand for accountability reflects growing public anger over repeated building collapses in Sindh's urban areas. Families affected by the tragedy are seeking justice and financial assistance as the investigation into the collapse continues.
Dawn News emphasised that the calls for compensation and legal action underscore the urgency for reform in Sindh's building regulatory framework to prevent future disasters. (ANI)