Decision to clear roads of protests taken to prevent public inconvenience: Murad

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has stated that causing public inconvenience through protests is not acceptable due to which the Sindh government has taken the decision to clear the roads for traffic.

Speaking to the media while inspecting water projects in Karachi and Thatta, he said the crisis in Parachinar was a humanitarian tragedy as people had been facing shortage of food and medicine there.

He mentioned that the Sindh government was providing medicines and assistance to the affected region, but the issue was primarily of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and must be addressed there.

Regarding the ongoing protests in Karachi, the CM stated that initially, the protesters were allowed to conduct a peaceful sit-in at Numaish. However, as their strength increased, they blocked the traffic movement, which caused public inconvenience.

“Our senior [PPP] leaders, including Saeed Ghani, Murtaza Wahab and Waqar Mehdi, held discussions with the protesters, urging them to end the sit-ins peacefully,” he said.

Shah mentioned that administrative actions were taken on Tuesday morning to clear eight out of 12 protest sites, while four locations remained occupied.

The CM acknowledged that managing protests could cause some disruption but assured that the government had no intention of harming the protesters.

He maintained that efforts would continue to engage in dialogue and resolve the situation amicably. He stressed that while the Sindh government supported the right to peaceful protests, causing inconvenience to the public was unacceptable. The suffering of the people must come to an end, he declared.

He also revealed that Karachi’s water supply system was being enhanced under a $1.6 billion programme supported by the World Bank which includes operational upgrades and expansions to enhance efficiency.

After inspecting rehabilitation work on the existing Hub Canal and construction of a new canal on Tuesday, he noted that on-site inspections provided better insights than reviewing progress from an office setting.

He claimed that Sindh’s development pace surpassed that of other provinces and even that of the federal government. He pointed out that despite Sindh contributing half of the funds for the Jamshoro-to-Sehwan road project, the completion of the road remained pending, whereas, Sindh had successfully finished several major projects using its resources.

Shah disclosed that Karachi’s water supply system was being enhanced under a $1.6 billion programme supported by the World Bank. “This programme includes operational upgrades and expansions to enhance efficiency,” he stated, adding that the World Bank had assured financial support on condition that administrative reforms were implemented.

Speaking on the issue of new water canals on the Indus River, the CM asserted that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had never been silent on Sindh’s water rights. “If someone refuses to listen, what can we do?” he remarked, emphasising that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari had clearly articulated their stance on safeguarding Sindh’s share of water resources.

Shah reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to improving public services and addressing key challenges such as water supply and infrastructure development.

He concluded by encouraging citizens to support government initiatives and urged everyone to contribute to the province’s progress. “Sindh’s journey of development will continue,” he stated, expressing optimism for a prosperous 2025.

The CM stated that Karachi’s most pressing problem is water scarcity, which the Sindh government was committed to resolving under the guidance of the PPP leadership.We have initiated multiple projects to meet the city’s water demands, and the provincial government is fully committed to their timely completion,” he maintained.

He said work on the Hub Canal was progressing rapidly and was expected to be completed by December 2025.

Shah explained that the Hub Canal project included upgrading the Hub Pumping stations, expanding capacity from 80 MGD to 100 MGD and restoring ageing infrastructure. He said that once the new Hub Canal was complete, the Karachi’s water problems would be significantly alleviated, especially in the West and Keamari districts of the city.

In Thatta, the CM reviewed progress in the KB Feeder project. He said 40 per cent work on the project would be completed by the end of 2025. He said the project would supply 260 million gallons of water per day to Karachi.