THE Sindh government has signed an agreement to establish the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ), spread over 1,500 acres of land and situated barely six miles from Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and Port Qasim Authority (PQA). According to published data, PSM has nearly 3,000 acres of unutilised industrial land, while PQA has 1,000 acres of unu-tilised land. This entire land is speci-fically designated for warehouses and industries, and, for that, the industrial park infrastructure is already in place.

Had the local and Chinese industrialists seen any commercial feasibility for establishing industries in this neighb-ourhood, they would have done so using the 4,000 acres of PSM and PQA land.

This Dhabeji SEZ is being set up right at the neck of Karachi’s water supply plant and its source canal that stems from the Indus River. If an SEZ is established in the area, the new industries, if any, will certainly pollute Karachi’s water supply.

The surrounding land is well-suited for and is home to many wind and solar power plants. Around the world, a typical wind power system produces about 25 per cent of its rated installed capacity. However, due to the availability of strong winds in the area, the wind power plants in Dhabeji-Jhimpir-Gharo neighbourhood can squeeze out up to 75pc wattage of the installed capacity.

Already, about a dozen plants have been installed, with more coming, and all this is taking place without the establishment of an SEZ, and without handing the area over to any individual or institution.

Instead of forcibly taking away land from the native farmers, the Sindh gove-rnment should drive potential investors, if any, to PSM and PQA lands that already have the industrial infrastructure in place. Financially and logistically, that would represent a more realistic policy.

Syed Shams Naqvi
Lafayette, USA

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2025