KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said that his government would welcome Chinese firms to invest directly in the projects of their choice or on a public-private partnership basis with the provincial government.

He said this during a meeting with a delegation of Chinese investors led by Belt & Road Group chairman Wan Xiaowu.

Mr Wan informed the CM that over 12 top Chinese firms were interested in investing in different projects in Karachi particularly the waste-to-energy, wastewater treatment, desalination plant, manufacturing of electric buses, manufacturing of kits to convert petrol motorcycles into electric energy and reconstructions of the city’s sewerage system, said a press release issued from the CM House after the meeting.

The CM said that his government would provide all necessary facilities to the Chinese firms to set up their plants.

Murad promises all necessary facilities

Mr Shah and the Mr Wan agreed to have another sitting with the Planning & Development department and Board of Investment to select the project and negotiate so that work could be initiated.

‘Measures to combat extremism, radicalisation’

Also on Tuesday, the CM said his government had implemented measures to combat extremism and terrorism, including intelligence sharing and coordinated operations with law enforcement agencies.

“Community engagement and outreach programmes have been initiated to prevent radicalisation and promote peace and harmony,” he said while addressing the participants of the National Security & War Course-25 here at the CM House.

He stated that the Sindh government implemented various initiatives, including training programmes and infrastructure development, to strengthen the police.

He mentioned specific initiatives such as the upgrading of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Branch, the Karachi Safe City and Sindh Smart Surveillance System (S4) projects.

He said that the Sindh government had taken steps to address challenges in the riverine area, focusing on infrastructure development and social services provision.

The CM mentioned that resources had been allocated to the Sindh police to acquire modern technology to combat challenges in the riverine area, such as drones, armoured personnel carriers, and 12.7mm guns.

Additionally, efforts were being made to construct roads and bridges to improve mobility, which is crucial for effective policing, he added.

The CM also talked about the province’s fiscal position and flood challenges.

The delegation was led by Major General Muhammad Akhtar and comprising 240 officers of armed forces, civil servants and military officers from 24 friendly countries.

Provincial ministers Sharjeel Memon, Sardar Shah, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Home Secretary Iqbal Memon and others were present.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024