Karachi, Mayor Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, has laid the foundation stone for a significant overhaul of the water and sewage system in Subangar Gulshan Iqbal, Karachi. This project, part of a broader strategy by the Sindh government of the PPP to improve Karachi’s infrastructure, aims to address longstanding issues in water supply and drainage.
According to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the project, costing over 35 crores, involves replacing old lines with new ones to ensure a robust water supply and drainage system in the area. The initiative is expected to be completed within twelve months and is designed to meet the area’s needs until 2050.
The development in Subangar, a densely populated slum, includes laying four water pipelines and four RCC sewerage lines, alongside the construction of a 50 thousand gallon underground water tank and a 20 thousand gallon overhead tank. This project aims to address the previous challenges of contaminated water supply and sewage leaks, significantly improving the sanitation situation and protecting area roads from damage.
Mayor Wahab emphasized that all sewage systems are being connected to treatment plant three, which will improve the environmental situation. He also highlighted the right of citizens living in slums to basic facilities. The project is expected to cater to the area’s growing population, projected to exceed 93,000 by 2050, with an average water consumption of about 200,000 gallons per day.
In his remarks, Mayor Wahab reaffirmed his commitment to improving basic urban infrastructure and solving public problems in every area of Karachi. He also mentioned the start of similar projects in Isa Nagri and the recent inauguration of a new road around Jinnah Hospital, indicating a brighter future for Karachi and the country.
Geneva, United Nations experts have raised serious concerns regarding the trial of 84 members of civil society in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on terrorism charges. The trial, which includes human rights defenders and political dissidents, has the potential to lead to the death penalty or extended prison sentences for acts allegedly committed a decade ago.
According to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, these charges, brought under the UAE’s 2014 Counter-Terrorism Law, are seen as a violation of international prohibitions on double jeopardy and retroactive criminal law. Prominent among the defendants are human rights defenders Mohamed Abdullah Al-Roken and Nasser Bin Ghaith al-Marri, who are facing new charges despite completing or nearing the end of their existing prison sentences.
The UN experts expressed concern over the UAE’s application of counter-terrorism laws, which they view as excessively restricting civil society and civic space. They stressed that these laws should be consistent with international human rights law. The experts also highlighted alarming allegations of enforced disappearances, solitary confinement, incommunicado detention, torture, and other inhumane treatments faced by the defendants, including violations of their right to a fair trial.
The experts emphasized the chilling effect such arbitrary applications of counter-terrorism laws have on the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association in the UAE. They called on Emirati authorities to align their counter-terrorism legislation with international human rights standards and refrain from prosecuting the so-called ‘UAE87’ under the 2014 law.