KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and prominent businessmen have decided to collaborate on development projects for betterment of Karachi and Sindh through public-private partnerships (PPP).

The consensus was reached during a meeting on financial resource mobilisation held on Friday.

The meeting was attended by leading business figures MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, Arif Habib, Zubair Motiwala and others at CM House.

Welcoming the participants, the chief minister underscored the importance of their involvement in improving Karachi’s functionality and visual appeal, noting that collaborative efforts were essential to shaping up a livable and modern Karachi.

He praised them for their willingness to engage with the government and emphasised his interest in working jointly with the private sector to accelerate Karachi’s infrastructure development.

Mr Dhedhi encouraged the government to outline specific projects suitable for private sector investment.

In response, the CM directed his special assistant on public private partnership and investment Qasim Naveed to coordinate directly with the business community and engage in project-specific discussions.

Th Shahrah-i-Bhutto development and the wastewater treatment project drew strong interest from businessmen. Shahrah-i-Bhutto was termed a critical urban corridor with the potential to transform traffic flow and urban accessibility.

The participants in the meeting agreed to undertake a plantation drive along the corridor to enhance environmental sustainability.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2025