KARACHI (HRNW)- Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Karachi Division spokesperson Fozia Siddiqui has strongly criticised the Sindh government’s development policies, alleging widespread financial irregularities, corruption and misuse of billions of rupees allocated to the Local Government Department over the past 18 years.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Fauzia Siddiqui said the Sindh government’s claims of development were completely inconsistent with the situation on the ground.
She questioned the government’s assertion that roads across Sindh were in good condition, asking why citizens continued to travel daily on damaged and deteriorating roads if that was indeed the case.
“The allocation of only Rs100 billion for Karachi’s development in the provincial budget amounts to hostility towards the country’s largest city,” she said, adding that crumbling roads, overflowing drains and a failing sewerage system in Karachi, Hyderabad and other parts of Sindh exposed the gap between official claims and reality.
Fauzia Siddiqui said the public could no longer be misled by statements as the condition of civic infrastructure was visible to everyone. Although Rs155bn had been allocated for the local government sector in the Sindh budget, citizens still lacked access to clean drinking water, proper roads, an effective drainage system and other essential municipal services.
She questioned where the Rs2.36 trillion reportedly provided to local government institutions over the last 18 years had been spent. “If such a huge amount was utilised for public welfare, why do cities across Sindh continue to suffer from collapsing infrastructure?” she asked.
Referring to development projects, Fauzia Siddiqui alleged that corruption worth billions of rupees had surfaced in schemes involving 750 reverse osmosis (RO) plants from Thatta to Mithi. She also questioned why what she described as Asia’s largest RO plant in Mithi remained non-operational and called on the Sindh government to explain the matter. She further demanded an impartial investigation into alleged financial irregularities in the province’s solar energy programme.
The PTI spokesperson said every town in Sindh received millions of rupees in monthly development funds, yet public issues remained unresolved. She argued that if all roads were in satisfactory condition, citizens would not be facing persistent problems of broken roads, poor sanitation and inadequate sewerage.
Criticising the performance of Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Fauzia Siddiqui said the city had been deprived of basic civic amenities due to administrative failure. She remarked that even moderate rainfall turned Karachi’s roads into ponds and neighbourhood streets into waterlogged pools.
“The people of Karachi do not need statements; they need clean roads, an efficient drainage system, safe drinking water and basic public services,” she said, adding that despite the allocation of billions of rupees, the city’s infrastructure continued to deteriorate.
Fauzia Siddiqui demanded that the Sindh government make public the complete details of local government funds, RO plant projects and other development schemes, and ensure transparent investigations into all alleged irregularities. She said the people of Sindh now expected accountability, transparency and tangible performance instead of promises.
