Tempers flared and proceedings descended into chaos in the Sindh Assembly on Monday as lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) staged a fierce protest over Karachi’s deepening water crisis, turning the house into a shouting arena where slogans drowned out official business and even the Question Hour became impossible to conduct.

The session, chaired by Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed, witnessed unprecedented uproar as MQM lawmakers rose from their seats and chanted slogans demanding immediate restoration of water supply to Karachi’s parched neighbourhoods.

The assembly floor resembled a fish market as opposition members refused to let proceedings continue, insisting that the city’s worsening water shortage be addressed without delay.

Despite repeated appeals from the chair to maintain order and proceed with the scheduled agenda, MQM legislators continued their protest, arguing that Karachi residents were enduring unbearable conditions amid intensifying heat and prolonged shortages.

Leader of the Opposition Ali Khurshidi said several areas, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Orangi Town, were facing severe water scarcity, adding that citizens were being forced into desperation.

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“Karachi has turned into Karbala,” he remarked, describing the scale of suffering caused by the shortage.

Responding to the criticism, Sindh Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ziaul Hassan Lanjar urged the opposition not to politicise the issue, maintaining that the provincial government was taking practical measures to improve water distribution across the city.

He, however, acknowledged that Karachi’s long-term water needs could not be fulfilled without the completion of the long-delayed K-IV water project and called on the federal government to expedite work on the scheme.

The water crisis continued to dominate the session as lawmakers from different parties highlighted civic failures through attention notices.

Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Muhammad Farooq raised concerns over worsening sewage conditions in his constituency, while Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah assured the House that drainage and development projects were underway in several affected areas.

MQM legislator Shariq Jamal criticised recurring power outages at Dhabeji and Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) pumping stations, saying millions of rupees had been spent on water supply projects without delivering meaningful relief to citizens.

In response, Nasir Hussain Shah said multiple development schemes in Korangi and Shah Faisal Colony were nearing completion and would soon improve water and civic infrastructure in those localities.

Amid the heated exchanges, the assembly unanimously passed a bill establishing the Sindh Institute of Reproductive Health in Karachi.

The House also approved an MQM resolution concerning the burning of homes in Jacobabad and action against police personnel allegedly involved in the incident. The provincial government assured compensation for the affected families and pledged a formal inquiry.

Following hours of disruption and tense exchanges, the session was later adjourned.