In a rare gesture, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday publicly apologised to the people of Karachi over the severe urban flooding that followed Tuesday’s torrential rains, admitting that the administration failed to take timely preventive measures.

Speaking to the media, Shah stated, “We cannot remove all the water by simply pressing a button. We should have stopped people from going out, and we should have closed roads — I admit that we did not do that.”

He said the government had announced a public holiday in anticipation of the heavy rains so that people would remain indoors. “Despite the holiday, people still came out on the streets,” he added.

The chief minister noted that the forecast for rain in Karachi had been issued as early as Sunday and Monday.

“We were informed in advance about the rain. I held a meeting for one and a half hours to discuss the situation, and while the meeting was still ongoing on Tuesday, the rain started and continued for three hours,” Shah said.

He confirmed that parts of Karachi received up to 200mm of rain, which led to widespread urban flooding.

“This level of rainfall inevitably results in flooding. We are sorry — it should not have happened,” he said.

Shah acknowledged that during the three hours of continuous rain, many people were stranded, and the authorities were unable to manage the traffic and flooding in time.

“We had advised people to stay where they were during the downpour,” he explained.

The chief minister admitted that he personally experienced the crisis.

“I left the CM House at 7.30pm and got stuck at Sharea Faisal near Nursery intersection. I could not go any further,” he recounted.

He also addressed criticism about the drainage system, saying, “If the storm drains were choked, how did the water recede in five to six hours?”

Shah appreciated the efforts of some officials, saying, “deputy commissioners used their own vehicles to rescue stranded citizens.”