SUKKUR: Sindh Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Haleem Adil Sheikh has criticised the Sindh government over accumulated rainwater in several areas in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions.
Accompanied by Karachi PTI General Secretary Arsalan Khalid, PTI Parliamentary Leader in Sindh Assembly Shabbir Qureshi, PTI leaders Jamal Siddiqui, Sarina Adnan, Rana Azam, MPA Sajjad Soomro, MPA Rehan Bandokda, Agha Arslan, Muhammad Ali Baloch, Ayesha Rasheed, Fouzia Siddiqui, Molana Jamil, Azhar Wathra and others, Sheikh spoke to the media regarding the aftermath of recent heavy rains across Sindh.
He expressed concerns over the fact that many areas in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions were still inundated. In Hyderabad, several neighbourhoods remained submerged, and thousands of acres of crops had been destroyed in rural Sindh, he lamented.
Sheikh highlighted that in the last two months, 47 people had lost their lives due to rains, and millions of acres of crops had been destroyed. However, the Sindh government had yet to initiate any relief work, he said.
Referring to the last year’s floods, the PTI leader said the Sindh government had announced the construction of two million homes, but only a fraction of the affected people had received any help.
He criticised the Sindh government's lack of response, noting that no area had been declared a disaster zone, and relief activities not commenced. He alleged that the Sindh government’s focal persons had been merely participating in photo sessions without ensuring provision of essential relief supplies like food, tents and medicines to the affected people.
He also noted that several areas in Badin were still submerged, with standing water in both streets and homes.
Similarly, he said, over 150 villages in Dadu were surrounded by floodwater, and many people in Umerkot, Sanghar and Tando Allahyar were living under the open sky, awaiting assistance. Many parts of Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Khipro, Shahdadpur and Sindhri were also flooded, with their crops completely destroyed, he said.
Sheikh explained that the PTI's monitoring cell was gathering reports from Sindh, a task that should have been the responsibility of the provincial government. He claimed that the Sindh government had failed to provide relief to people during the disaster.
He accused the provincial government of deliberately allowing the situation to worsen to siphon off funds.
The Sindh PTI president also admonished the provincial government for neglecting essential infrastructure, stating that Karachi’s infrastructure had been completely destroyed by the recent rains. Roads and streets across the city were in a shambles, with large potholes everywhere, he said, adding that the sewerage system in the provincial capital had become entirely dysfunctional.
Alleging that the Pakistan Peoples Party was involved in misappropriating funds, he pointed out that Rs5 billion was spent on a road near Qayyumabad in Karachi, yet it was riddled with potholes. Citing a report from the Sindh Planning and Development Department’s monitoring team, Sheikh claimed that Rs32 billion spent on Karachi’s CLICK project had been wasted due to substandard work.
He also expressed concern over the state of press freedom in Pakistan. “Never before in Pakistan’s history has the media been subjected to such restrictions. Even when we raise public issues, we are silenced, and our voices are not given proper coverage. We pray for true freedom in Pakistan, where the media can operate without constraints,” he remarked.
The PTI leader urged the media to expose the reality of the flood-hit areas in Sindh, He also demanded immediate drainage of rainwater, provision of shelter to those whose houses had been submerged, sending livestock and medical relief teams to assist rain-affected people and declaring their areas disaster zones.
He remarked that rain, which was essentially a blessing, had become a curse for the people due to the corrupt rulers.
Sheikh alleged that the Sindh government’s focal persons were appointed to be part of the corruption chain.
The Karachi PTI general secretary accused the government of stealing Karachi’s tax revenue without delivering any benefits to the citizens. He also questioned the role of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, asserting that the PTI remained the true voice of Karachi's citizens.
The PTI parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly echoed these concerns, stating that the PPP was troubled by the PTI's growing influence in interior areas of Sindh. He also criticised the Karachi mayor, labelling him a ‘dummy mayor’ who was installed through electoral rigging.
