KARACHI: City mayor Wasim Akhtar and mayor of the Chinese city Shenyang have signed an agreement to declare Karachi and Shenyang as friendly and cooperating cities. Official sources said that under the agreement both cities will increase bilateral cooperation in various fields and on several levels to further strengthen relations between China and Pakistan under the agreement signed on Thursday in Shenyang.

They said that the agreement was done due to the similarities between Karachi and Shenyang and in this connection Mr Akhtar was invited by the People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries of Shenyang.

According to sources, the mayor also met with his counterpart in Shenyang and discussed with him matters of mutual interest. He expressed hope that this agreement would further strengthen friendship between China and Pakistan and with this Karachi and Shenyang would progress in various sectors including business, trade and civic facilities.

They said that the friendship agreement would explore opportunities in various sectors/ areas including improving infrastructure, development of parks and horticulture, improvement in major roads, footpaths and bridges, commercial parking plazas, lighting arrangement of major roads, construction of new fire stations, improvement of flyovers, underpasses and bridges, development of amusement parks, cleaning and desalting of stormwater drains, medical and health services, transport and communication, information technology, development of an oil tanker terminal, bulk transportation of garbage and other special projects.

The sources added that other areas of cooperation were city planning and public safety, business promotion and tourism, sustainable development, smart city technology, innovation, start-ups and digital inclusion, public management, participation and accountability mechanisms, urban mobility, traffic and mass transportation management and municipal policies for primary care.

Sports festival

Metropolitan Commissioner of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Dr Syed Saif ur Rehman said that sports played a very important role in the development of a healthy society and any country could brighten its name on the world level with a superior performance in sports.

“Pakistani players have shown their talent on the highest levels and brought good name for their country abroad in various sports disciplines,” he said.

The metropolitan commissioner was the chief guest in the first day of Jashn-i-Azadi sports festival held at the Sports Complex of KMC.

Chairman sports and culture committee of city council Aijaz Ahmed Khan, senior director culture and sports Khursheed Shah, and other personalities including chairman Sindh Boxing

He said that KMC was providing better sports facilities to youth and the Landhi Sports Complex would also be opened for sports activities soon.

The municipal commissioner also gave away rewards to players who won contests in swimming, boxing, arm wrestling and judo.

Association Asghar Baloch, professor Aijaz Ahmed Fario­oqui, professor Karim Mughal, Ahmed Ali Rajput, Ghulam Muhammad and others were also present on this occasion.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2018