Pakistan: Sindh Assembly flags Karachi water shortage, alleges theft by tanker mafia

Karachi [Pakistan], December 24 (ANI): The Sindh Assembly was filled with concern as opposition members raised alarms over the deteriorating water situation in the city, highlighting extensive theft through illegal hydrants and the tanker mafia, according to a report by Dawn.
During a heated assembly session, lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) strongly criticised the provincial government for its failure to provide a consistent water supply to Karachi. They called for immediate measures against water theft and urged the mayor to prioritise the repair of the city's damaged pipelines, the Dawn report said.
During Question Hour, MQM-P's parliamentary secretary Fouzia Hameed highlighted that any leak in the main water pipeline often coincided with theft. She advocated public disclosure of all individuals involved in the water theft mafia and requested the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants against them, according to the Dawn report.
MQM-P's Abdul Waseem and Muhammad Awais, along with PTI's Shabbir Qureshi and JI's Muhammad Farooq, said in their call attention notice that prompt action was needed to address the water shortage, as residents in their constituencies had been suffering for a long time.
In her call attention notice, MQM-P's Qurat-ul-Ain Khan drew the excise minister's attention to the rising use and sale of drugs in the province, particularly in Karachi.
Excise and Narcotics Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla admitted that officials from the police and excise department were also implicated in drug trafficking, adding that action was being taken against them.
Earlier in Sindh, many people, including a large number of women and children, participated in the "Save Sindh's Existence and Resources" march in Larkana despite the imposition of Section 144 and what organisers described as "false FIRs", according to a report by The Express Tribune (TET).
The event, organised by Awami Tehreek and Sindhyani Tehreek, was held to protest against the 27th Constitutional Amendment, proposed corporate farming projects, the construction of new canals and dams on the Indus River, the alleged exploitation of Sindh's resources, and the rise in banditry. (ANI)