In an emotional media talk on Tuesday, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab issued a heartfelt public apology to the family of little Ibrahim, the child who lost his life in an incident near Nipa on Monday midnight.
The mayor placed special focus on the grief of the family, stating that as a father himself, he felt their pain deeply. He said he personally visited Ibrahim’s family in Shah Faisal Colony earlier in the day. “Without going into any blame game, I apologised to them,” he said, recounting his meeting with the grieving family. “I said that I regret this whole incident. As a father, I have no words for the cries of Ibrahim’s mother.”
He praised the extraordinary patience and dignity shown by Ibrahim’s grandfather despite the family’s immense loss. “Despite suffering such a huge loss, he behaved with utmost compassion,” Wahab noted. “I salute his spirit. He only said that the child had lived the time Allah had allotted him, and that we must create awareness through our actions so others never face this pain.”
Wahab said he spent nearly fifty minutes with the family, choosing not to hold a press conference outside their home out of respect for their grief. “We all apologize for this incident,” he added, reaffirming that the city administration fully acknowledges its responsibility.
The mayor also briefed the media on the steps being taken following a meeting with the Sindh Chief Minister. Several officials—including the concerned Water Corporation engineer, the KMC officer, the district administrator, SSP East, and DC East—have been suspended for failure to respond adequately. “This is necessary to prevent such incidents in the future,” Wahab stressed.
He noted that the rescue response was hindered by crowds and lacked the coordination expected from 1122 and City Wardens. “It was our responsibility to stop those who obstructed rescue work,” he said, calling the episode “tragic, painful, and shameful.”
Mayor Wahab assured that further legal action and administrative measures are underway, including crackdowns on infrastructure theft and drug addicts whom he said are damaging public property. He emphasized that the police must take stronger action and that junk markets enabling theft will face strict measures.
“Ibrahim’s family has raised some serious concerns, and we will address them,” Wahab concluded. “Blame games will not solve public problems. We must ensure such incidents never happen again.”
He pledged continued updates, including progress on the Red Line project and ongoing safety measures across Karachi.