CM announces public holiday in Karachi after heavy rains

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday declared that Karachi will observe a public holiday on Wednesday, following heavy rainfall that caused severe disruption across the city.

The chief minister also advised citizens to remain indoors, stressing that more rain was expected and the holiday had been declared to spare people further hardship.

According to a statement issued from the CM House, Shah chaired an emergency meeting on the situation in Karachi.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, Makhdoom Mehboob-uz-Zaman, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, and Mayor Murtaza Wahab.

Officials briefed the meeting that the city received the heaviest downpour of 245 millimetres in the past 12 hours, which left the traffic system paralysed. However, they noted that several major roads had since been partially cleared.

Briefings also highlighted that stormwater drains were actively discharging rainwater and the situation was gradually improving, though challenges remained.

The chief minister repeated his call for caution, urging people to avoid unnecessary travel and cooperate with authorities during the emergency.