JI demands city be given its due water share

The Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi chapter staged a sit-in outside the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation’s headquarters on Sharea Faisal against an acute and prolonged water crisis in the city that has seen a significant spike in the water tanker business.

A large number of citizens, belonging to all walks of life and representative bodies from the affected areas, besides JI workers, participated in the sit-in. The protesters were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the water shortage, improper sewerage system in the city, the tanker mafia and their facilitators as well as the government.

Addressing the participants, Karachi JI emir Munem Zafar said that Karachi is the economic engine of the country, but the federal and provincial governments are neglecting Karachi and Karachiites despite the fact that it generates the significant chunk of revenue for both of them.

The prolonged acute water crisis is on top of the list for Karachiites, he said and recalled that the JI’s former mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani had completed the K1 and K2 water supply projects, while the JI’s former city Nazim Naimatullah Khan had completed the K3 project and initiated the K4 project that was supposed to cater to the future needs of the city.

He maintained that the K4 project was supposed to be completed in 2019 but still it was in limbo, whereas the tanker mafia with the support of the authorities was robbing Karachiites of billions of rupees.

The government as it has been disclosed earned Rs1.86 billion out of the tanker project in just one year, he said, adding that the government had been sheltering the mafia. He said the KWSC headquarters had become a den of corruption and announced that the JI would stage a sit-in at the Chief Minister House if the water issue was not resolved.

Zafar said the JI has launched the resistance movement against the oppressors and demanded of the government to ensure just and equal supply of water across Karachi.

He demanded of the government to supply Karachi its due share of water through pipelines and bring the tanker mafia to an end. The JI leader also demanded of the government to complete the much needed K-4 water supply project on a war footing. He further said the PPP government in Sindh had not increased even a drop of water in the quota for Karachi for the past 16 years and there was no justification for this act of enmity against Karachi.

Talking about hundreds of deaths in Karachi during the past few days, he held the ruling parties and the K-Electric responsible. He also shed light on the privatization of the then KESC and the disastrous outcomes of the act.