Sharjeel laments ‘low priority’ accorded to Karachi by Centre

Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday criticised the federal government for what he described as a “low priority” approach towards Karachi, arguing that the country’s largest city continues to shoulder immense economic and infrastructural burdens despite its significant contribution to the national economy. Speaking to the media in Karachi, Memon said Karachi remained Pakistan’s most challenging city, facing pressures stemming from migration, trade, employment and transportation. “We do have motorway issues. Karachi has been given low priority by the federal government,” he said, noting that as the country’s main port city, Karachi should have been prioritised in the development of the motorway network. “When you have to start a motorway, you should start it from Karachi. But it has been built everywhere except Karachi,” he added. The minister said Karachi’s infrastructure was under extraordinary strain as heavy traffic from across the country converged on the city. “All of Pakistan’s heavy traffic comes into Karachi and damages the infrastructure,” he said. To address the issue, he said the Sindh government was working on multiple projects, including plans to divert freight traffic away from the city centre. “We have launched a project under which we aim to shift Karachi’s traffic and develop a state-of-the-art transport terminal on the Northern Bypass,” he said. He added that a railway line was also being developed to transport goods directly to the bypass so that heavy vehicles serving the ports would not have to enter the city. Memon also highlighted the completion of the Shahrah-i-Bhutto project, describing it as a major infrastructure initiative that had already received a positive response from commuters. “Those who are travelling from Karachi to Hyderabad, lower Sindh or other parts of the country are saving time because of this project,” he said. Calling it a “state-of-the-art project”, he said the government had deployed police personnel, R