PM terms Karachi country’s financial hub

ISLAMABAD: Terming Karachi as financial hub of the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced to bring acceleration in work for the developmental projects being steered by the federal government in the metropolis.

In high echelon meeting to discuss the projects currently undertaken by the federal government for Karachi at the Prime Minister Office (PMO) on Wednesday, the Prime Minster has assigned an Additional Secretary of the PMO to coordinate for bringing improvement and supervision of the pace of work in the federal government’s projects in Karachi.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail was present in the meeting. He will be point-man of the federal government for Karachi’s development. The meeting was also attended by Federal Ministers Asad Umar, Murad Saeed, Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Khalid Maqbool Siddique, Faisal Wowda, member Sindh Assembly Samar Ali Khan, Chief Executive Karachi Infrastructure Development Company Limited Muhammad Saleh Farooqi, Secretary Communication Adnan Asdra and relevant other senior officials.

The Prime Minister while maintaining that Karachi is financial hub of the country said that the city has pivotal role in country’s economy and its stability and progress. Imran Khan reminded that the federal government is fully aware of civic problems of Karachi, transport, potable water, sewerage, housing and other complexities.

Political observers have reminded that Sindh’s PPP government had been resisting such moves in past since it considers such actions as encroachment on the jurisdiction of the provincial government. The Wednesday decision pertaining to Karachi has peculiar significance in the backdrop of ongoing tug of war between the federal and Sindh government on the question of disputed JIT report that has entangled ruling PPP leadership in various serious offences along with placing 172 individuals on exit control list (ECL).