Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has held Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and the Water Board responsible for the tragic incident at the Nipa flyover, where a child fell into an open manhole.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi on Monday, he said that the city of 35 million residents has been left without anyone to address their grievances.

Referring to critics, he said, whenever Jamaat-e-Islami steps in to serve the people, questions are raised about the source of its funds.

He demanded that the BRT Red Line project on University Road be scrapped, claiming that the scheme was being used to “humiliate the citizens of Karachi”.

Hafiz Naeem said that even after completion, the BRT plan would not resolve the city’s transport issues.

He said major roads in the SITE area remained incomplete, while the overall situation in the city had become dire.

He accused the Sindh government of being a hub of corruption, claiming that Rs3,360 billion had been “eaten up” over the past 15 years, and demanded accountability.

He reiterated that the mayor and Water Board bore responsibility for the child’s death near Nipa, adding that no one was available to listen to the concerns of Karachi’s residents.

He said the Jamaat-e-Islami had halted fraudulent land-grabbing activities in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, where citizens’ homes were being targeted using fake documents.

Hafiz Naeem assured Karachi residents that Jamaat-e-Islami would not allow anyone to seize their homes.

“We do not wish to take the law into our own hands,” he said, urging law-enforcement agencies to prevent such incidents.

He said the Jamaat-e-Islami was fighting the case of Karachi’s people because the state and government had failed to fulfil their responsibilities.

“This is not just the story of one city — Karachi reflects the condition of the entire country,” he added.