Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday met Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the CM House where they discussed various matters of mutual interest, with a particular focus on promoting cricket in the province.
Officials said a key topic of their discussion was upgrading Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium to meet international standards, enabling it to host international cricket matches in the future. Both the leaders agreed on the necessity of implementing measures to equip the stadium with modern facilities.
“The restoration and development of Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium is essential for promoting cricket in Sindh,” said the CM. He further emphasised that investing in sports infrastructure would encourage greater youth participation and strengthen the region’s contribution to Pakistan’s cricket talent pool.
Emphasising the importance of sports development, the CM stated that talented young cricketers, including those from rural areas across Sindh, should be given opportunities to excel. He highlighted that identifying and nurturing emerging talent is crucial for the future of cricket in the province.
Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, assured the CM that a formal talent hunt programme would be developed to discover and support young players from Sindh, and provide structured training and exposure to promising cricketers.
The meeting underscored the government’s commitment to improving sports facilities in Sindh and providing young athletes with the necessary resources to compete at the highest levels. Earlier, the interior minister visited the Sindh Rangers headquarters and chaired a meeting on the overall law and order situation.
Officials said Sindh Rangers Director General Major General Muhammad Shamrez welcomed the interior minister upon his arrival, after which he laid a wreath at the Martyrs’ Memorial. The federal minister was given a briefing regarding the operational preparations of the Sindh Rangers, their ongoing operations in Sindh, especially those against the Kutcha dacoits and those for the prevention of smuggling and water theft.
Naqvi appreciated the steps taken by the Rangers to prevent terrorism and praised the paramilitary force’s role in establishing law and order. He vowed that all possible steps would be taken to ensure peace in Sindh, especially Karachi.
Separately, talking to media persons during his visit to Naya Nazimabad, Chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said, “Captains are for cricket; I have no interest.” He said traffic accidents in Karachi are worrying, and the secretary has ordered several measures in a meeting. He said a meeting has been called on Thursday in which the implementation of these measures will be reviewed. The CM said wherever he goes, he sees fancy number plates and vehicles without fitness, and people have stopped cooperating with the law, but no one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands as it is not about small or big people; everyone's life is precious.
He added that cricket gets a lot of sponsors, and the Sindh government has installed a world-class blue turf for the national game of hockey. Shah said the first batch of public transport has arrived, and this year money has been allocated in the budget for 500 EV buses, while 8,000 buses will be added in three to four years. We will also provide subsidies to the private sector and work is underway on our two major bus routes. Talks have been held to bring the Karachi Circular Railway into CPEC, he said and added that talks have been held with Chinese companies on the Circular Railway, and the company building the Orange Line in Lahore is also interested in the KCR.
