Pakistan’s crisis hits sewers as Maryam Nawaz threatens 10-year jail for manhole cover theft | WATCH

File photo of a sanitation worker Shafiq Masih (C) cleaning a sewer in a residential area in Lahore. (Image used for representation)

Pakistan’s Punjab government has proposed strict prison terms and fines for stealing, selling, or buying manhole covers amid a surge in thefts linked to economic distress, highlighting the country’s deepening crisis and governance challenges.

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Pakistan’s deepening economic distress has now reached beneath its streets. In a development that would sound absurd if it were not real, the Punjab government has announced a new law to deal with a growing problem: the rampant theft of manhole covers.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif formally announced the proposed legislation in a video message that has since gone viral. The law proposes prison terms of up to 10 years not only for those who steal manhole covers, but also for anyone who sells or buys them.

“We are bringing a law in Punjab under which anyone who steals a manhole cover, anyone who sells a manhole cover, or anyone who buys a manhole cover will face imprisonment ranging from 1 to 10 years. Also, if someone dies because of the theft of manhole cover, then there will be imprisonment of 10 years along with a fine of up to Rs 30-40 lakh," Maryam Nawaz said.

"जो गटर का ढक्कन चोरी करेगा, जो गटर का ढक्कन बेचेगा, जो गटर का ढक्कन ख़रीदेगा उसे एक से दस साल तक की सजा होगी।" - नवाज शरीफ की बेटी पंजाब की मुख्यमंत्री मरियम नवाज ने बकायदा वीडियो जारी कर यह घोषणा की है। पाकिस्तान मैं लोग गटर के ढक्कन इतने चोरी करने लगे हैं कि यह क़दम उठाना… pic.twitter.com/F5IhkjUPid

— Mukesh Mathur (@mukesh1275) February 6, 2026

The announcement itself reflects how far Pakistan’s internal crisis has slipped. In a country battling inflation, unemployment, and repeated IMF bailouts, authorities are now forced to legislate against the theft of basic civic infrastructure just to keep people from falling into open sewers.

Manhole covers, usually made of metal, are reportedly being stolen and sold as scrap for quick cash. The frequency of these thefts has increased so sharply that officials admit covers installed during the day often disappear overnight.

“Hum gutter ke dhakan din mein laga kar jate hai, wo raat ko chori ho jate hai. Gutter ke dhakan chori na kare," Maryam Nawaz added in the video.

The need for such a warning from a provincial chief minister has not gone unnoticed. Social media users have linked the bizarre crime wave to Pakistan’s worsening economic conditions, where even scrap metal from sewage systems has become a source of income.

The Punjab government’s move also highlights a grim reality. Instead of fixing the economic conditions that push people into such desperate acts, the state has chosen harsher punishment as its primary response. Under the proposed law, if the theft of a manhole cover leads to a death, the accused could face up to 10 years in jail along with fines running into tens of lakhs of rupees.

Critics argue that the situation itself is a symbol of governance failure. A country that once spoke of regional leadership is now struggling to protect sewer covers, while its leadership issues warnings that sound more like pleas.

As Pakistan continues to reel under economic pressure, the spectacle of a government declaring war on manhole cover theft has become a stark and embarrassing snapshot of a nation where even the ground beneath one’s feet is no longer safe.