Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Monem Zafar Khan has accused the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of 16 years of mismanagement, blaming the Sindh government for the city’s persistent water crisis and rampant land grabbing. Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq on Friday, Khan criticized Chief Minister Sindh’s acknowledgment of water shortages affecting 50% of Karachi as a reflection of the government’s incompetence.
He announced that protests against the water crisis and the negligence of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, led by Mayor Murtaza Wahab, will be held at 15 locations across the city on December 21. Monem Zafar Khan alleged widespread corruption in Karachi’s cooperative societies, facilitated by officials from the Land Revenue Department, Assistant Commissioners, and anti-encroachment cells.
He highlighted cases of fake elections, unauthorized administrators, and mafia-backed takeovers in societies like PID, Gulshan Mahmood-ul-Haq, and WAPDA. “People’s life savings are being stolen through fraudulent management practices and illegal land grabbing,” he said, threatening citywide protests if these issues remain unresolved.
He accused K-Electric of exploiting Karachi residents with inflated electricity bills based on manipulated data. “The federal government has acknowledged discrepancies in K-Electric’s tariff calculations, but no meaningful action has been taken,” he stated, reiterating JI’s demand for the cancellation of K-Electric’s license and a forensic audit of its operations.
Monem Khan slammed the Sindh government for failing to address the water crisis, citing illegal hydrants and the failure to repair critical pipelines. He pointed out the delay in completing the K-IV project, originally meant to supply 650 million gallons of water per day, but now reduced to 260 MGD. “The tanker mafia has made clean water unaffordable for Karachiites,” he said, adding that water tanker prices have skyrocketed from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 7,000. Khan called for strict scheduling of tanker operations to reduce traffic congestion and accidents, noting that over 750 people have died in road accidents this year, with 150 fatalities caused by tankers, trailers, and dumpers.
