• Pleas for FIR against mayor, KWSC, Gulshan town chairman and judicial inquiry land in courts
• Parties, civil society demand mayor’s resignation
• Celebrities blame failed civic management for tragedy

KARACHI: The widespread outrage that the tragic death of a child, who drowned in an open manhole in Gulshan-i-Iqbal near Nipa, ignited has intensified, with political parties, civil society, and celebrities demanding answers, asking: “Who is responsible for this?”

Three-year-old Ibrahim fell in an uncovered manhole in front of a departmental store near Nipa on Sunday evening. The body was recovered after a 15-hour-long rescue operation on Monday.

By Tuesday evening, the manhole and the connected drain that had been dug up by rescuers to retrieve the body remained open, posing a threat to people.

Many parties held protests against the provincial administration on Tuesday and demanded that the Karachi mayor resign.

Pleas for FIR against mayor, KWSC, Gulshan town chairman and judicial inquiry land in courts

A lawyer moved a sessions court seeking registration of a case against the mayor, Gulshan Town chairman, Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) and Red Line contractor over their alleged negligence.

Another lawyer filed a petition before the Sindh High Court for a judicial inquiry.

Protests continue

The Jamaat-i-Islami on Tuesday staged a protest near Nipa against Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and the Sindh government of Pakistan People Party (PPP) over the incident that claimed the life of the three-year-old a day earlier.

The protesters carrying placards and banners chanted slogans against the PPP government and demanded the mayor’s resignation.

Senior party leader and opposition leader in the City Council Advocate Saifuddin said Karachi had been “bleeding for long” and another innocent life had now been lost.

Those responsible, directly or indirectly, should be nominated in the FIR, he said, urging the Sindh chief minister to take serious action.

Also on Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders visited the area near Nipa and pointed out that the manhole was yet to be covered. They strongly condemned the inaction of the PPP-led provincial set-up and municipal authorities and demanded that lids be placed on all uncovered gutters across the metropolis.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Restoration Movement (KRM) demanded that an FIR for the alleged killing of Ibrahim be registered against the mayor.

Speaking at a press conference outside the KMC head office, KRM leaders said that as mayor — the “custodian and father of the city” — he must be held responsible.

They announced that their protest camps would continue across the city in mourning for Ibrahim and other children who had died in similar incidents, and that their campaign would continue until a case is registered and the mayor resigns.

Lawyers move courts

A lawyer on Tuesday filed an application before a sessions court seeking registration of a case against the mayor, Gulshan town chairman, KWSC and the contractor of Red Line project over their alleged negligence.

Applicant Advocate Sheikh Saqib Ahmed filed the application under Section 22-A of the Criminal Procedure Code and submitted that the tragic death of the child was not an isolated incident, as at least 23 people have lost their lives in Karachi in 2025 due to falling into open manholes.

He stated that after incident, he approached the Aziz Bhatti SHO for lodging an FIR under Section 322 (qatl-e-bis-sabab) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the proposed accused persons but the police refused to register the case.

Meanwhile, another lawyer filed a petition in the Sindh High Court seeking an independent judicial inquiry into the same incident by a district and sessions judge.

Petitioner Gulzar Nigar also sought directives for the mayor and all 25 town chairmen to file detailed reports about uncovered manhole trenches and pits in the city.

The petitioner also asked the SHC to further direct the respondents to formulate and implement a city-wide municipal safety and hazard prevention framework.

Social media outrage

Many X users framed Ibrahim’s death not as an unfortunate mishap, but as the latest example of systemic failure in the city.

One post captured the sentiment bluntly: “Imagine taking your child shopping and walking out with empty arms because the street itself swallowed him… This isn’t an ‘accident’; it is state-engineered negligence. Every open manhole in Karachi is a death trap waiting for another Ibrahim.”

Actor Mahira Khan called out “unimaginable apathy” after watching a “video of a mother helplessly screaming, crying for her baby”. All she could ask was, “Who the hell is responsible for Karachi?”

Sajal Ali criticised the city’s crumbling infrastructure and “collapsing, failed system”, saying she couldn’t imagine the parents’ pain as they waited for a miracle that never came because “there was no one to save him”.

She added that Karachi “carries the weight of millions yet receives no care in return”.

Adnan Siddiqui blamed the authorities who “couldn’t be bothered to cover a manhole”, calling the tragedy a “simple, preventable act of responsibility” and the indifference “as if human life means nothing here”.

Rapper Talha Yunus said, “My heart weeps and my blood is boiling; this is all the result of our government’s incompetence. 2026 is almost here and this is the state of our city. Curse you,” he said, offering condolences to the family.

Naumaan Ijaz also questioned the government’s priorities, saying, “Cameras worth millions have been installed [to give out] e-challans, but manhole covers were not installed to save someone’s life.”

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2025