KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has rejected calls to make Karachi a separate province, saying such demands are unconstitutional and impractical.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Bhains Colony flyover in district Malir on Sunday, he reiterated that the people of Karachi were deeply connected with Sindh.

In a thinly veiled reference to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, he said some so-called “claimants of the city” called for strengthening the local government system at the grassroots level but ironically they themselves got the federal government involved to carry out development work at the union council level via a federal company.

He also called for federal funds to be directly allocated to local councils to ensure effective service delivery.

Takes a dig at ‘so-called claimants of city’ for involving federal govt in UC-level development work; inaugurates Rs1.8bn flyover at Bhains Colony

The CM also announced a series of major infrastructure initiatives to ease traffic congestion and accelerate development across the city.

Talking about the new flyover, he said the project would provide long-term relief to commuters and support economic activity by ensuring uninterrupted traffic flow between key industrial and commercial zones.

The flyover is expected to reduce traffic bottlenecks in District Malir, particularly around Bhains Colony and the Mehran Highway. It will improve connectivity for residents of Malir and Ibrahim Hyderi, the Export Processing Zone, and commuters travelling between the National Highway (N-5) and Mehran Highway.

The Bhains Colony flyover and associated road works were executed by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) under the Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (Click) initiative, with support from the World Bank.

The project was completed in a record five months for Rs1.865bn. Although approved on July 21, 2025, physical construction began on September 21, 2025, and was fast-tracked to completion.

Outlining upcoming projects, he said Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab had been tasked with completing a flyover at Azimpura within 100 days.

He added that Shahrah-i-Bhutto would be completed from Qayyumabad to Kathore within the next four to six weeks, with plans underway to extend it up to the port. He also noted that the Murghi Khana Bridge was in its final stages of construction.

The chief minister announced that development projects worth Rs300 billion would be included for Karachi in the upcoming provincial budget, adding that Rs8bn to Rs13bn had already been approved for KMC schemes to accelerate civic works across the city.

Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Wahab said the Bhains Colony flyover had been completed on a fast-track basis to facilitate residents of Malir and adjoining areas. He highlighted that Shahrah-i-Bhutto, the Manzil Pump flyover and multiple road projects in Korangi, Ibrahim Hyderi, Memon Goth and Malir were being executed by the KMC.

He added that Rs8.5bn had been secured for the construction of 25 new roads in Karachi with the chief minister’s support.

The ceremony was attended by Local Gov­rnment Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, CM special assistant Saleem Baloch, MPAs Raja Razzaq and Sadia Javed and others.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026