Wahab Riaz earns criticism for splashing bikers in Lahore flooded roads

LAHORE: Adviser to Punjab interim Chief Minister on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz on Wednesday received massive public criticism for splashing bikers and passersby on flooded roads in Lahore.

Earlier today, incessant showers broke a 30-year-old record when the Punjab capital city received over 290mm of rain within a span of 10 hours, resulting in the death of at least seven people, officials said.

The metropolis received 291mm of rain, during which more than a dozen areas recorded more than 200mm of rain, Commissioner Lahore Mohammad Ali Randhawa said, adding this is happening due to climate change and strong monsoon.

In order to inspect conditions after the rain and monitor clearance and drainage operations, Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his cabinet visited different areas of the city today.

In a video shared on the micro-blogging website, Twitter, Riaz — onboard a car — could be seen driving recklessly on the flooded roads and splashing rainwater onto the passing vehicle and motorcyclists.

Reacting to Riaz’s attitude, journalist and anchorperson Raza Zaidi wrote on his Twitter handle that when a foolish person gets a position, he does so.

Another dubbed as "illegal sports minister".

A social media user said, "He is driving the car so fast and doesn't care for people on the road at all."

Rayham Wadud, another netizen, said: “Extremely awful act by Sports Minister Wahab Riaz as he can be seen driving carelessly on Lahore roads which are flooded with water after heavy rain, he can be seen splashing water onto passing vehicles and people who are riding on their bikes.”

Berating the former cricketer, some of the netizens demanded his resignation as well.