KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday said the amount allocated to provinces under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award had declined this year because the provinces contributed a portion of their share to support the federal government.

“Despite reduced financial resources, every effort had been made to ensure that provincial development projects and grants remained unaffected,” he said while addressing a ceremony organised by the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) to present a gold medal to Indus Hospital CEO Dr Abdul Bari.

The CM said that the concerns raised by KATI regarding the Yellow Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project would be resolved through consultations with all stakeholders. He said valuable lessons had been learned from the Red Line project and the government would strive to complete the Yellow Line project on time without creating unnecessary inconvenience to the public.

The CM said that the grant had been increased every year in the past for Indus Hospital, but this year the increase was not possible due to financial constraints. The Sindh government allocated Rs9 billion for development works in Karachi’s industrial zones, including Rs2bn for KATI, he added.

Murad says govt has allocated Rs9bn for industrial zones’ uplift

Earlier, KATI President Muhammad Ikram Rajput said the law and order situation in Karachi had improved significantly, enabling the business community to perform its activities more effectively.

Deputy Patron-in-Chief Zubair Chhaya warned that implementation of the Yellow Line Project in its current form would disrupt commercial activities in the Korangi Industrial Area. He urged the government to redesign the project in consultation with KATI and all other stakeholders.

Dr Abdul Bari said the charitable institution established in 2005 had grown into a nationwide healthcare network. What began as a 150-bed hospital has expanded into 15 hospitals across Pakistan, while Indus University was also expected to be launched soon. He said the hospital’s annual budget had increased from Rs100 million at its inception to Rs68 billion, enabling it to provide free medical treatment to around 600,000 patients daily.

Governor visits SITE area

Separately, Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi assured the industrialists in the SITE area of his full support in the resolution of issues faced by the industrial community. Earlier, SAI President Abdul Rehman Fudda briefed the governor on issues faced by the industry, such as energy crunch and high power tariffs.

He proposed establishing SITE Development and Management Company like Korangi, Landhi, Federal B Area, and North Karachi Industrial Area, and handing over ownership to the actual stakeholders.

Patron-in-Chief Zubair Motiwala said the utility prices should be kept at regionally competitive levels to help industries excel in exports.

He also suggested setting up a Pak-China export promotion body to increase exports to China.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026