{"id":127127,"date":"2026-06-06T18:04:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=127127"},"modified":"2026-06-06T18:04:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:04:56","slug":"sharjeel-laments-low-priority-accorded-to-karachi-by-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/127127\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharjeel laments \u2018low priority\u2019 accorded to Karachi by Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KARACHI(National Times)-  Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday criticised the federal government for what he described as a \u201clow priority\u201d approach towards Karachi, arguing that the country\u2019s largest city continues to shoulder immense economic and infrastructural burdens despite its significant contribution to the national economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to the media in Karachi, Memon said Karachi remained Pakistan\u2019s most challenging city, facing pressures stemming from migration, trade, employment and transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe do have motorway issues. Karachi has been given low priority by the federal government,\u201d he said, noting that as the country\u2019s main port city, Karachi should have been prioritised in the development of the motorway network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you have to start a motorway, you should start it from Karachi. But it has been built everywhere except Karachi,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister said Karachi\u2019s infrastructure was under extraordinary strain as heavy traffic from across the country converged on the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of Pakistan\u2019s heavy traffic comes into Karachi and damages the infrastructure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To address the issue, he said the Sindh government was working on multiple projects, including plans to divert freight traffic away from the city centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have launched a project under which we aim to shift Karachi\u2019s traffic and develop a state-of-the-art transport terminal on the Northern Bypass,\u201d he said. He added that a railway line was also being developed to transport goods directly to the bypass so that heavy vehicles serving the ports would not have to enter the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Memon also highlighted the completion of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/2000202\">Shahrah-i-Bhutto&nbsp;<\/a>project, describing it as a major infrastructure initiative that had already received a positive response from commuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose who are travelling from Karachi to Hyderabad, lower Sindh or other parts of the country are saving time because of this project,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Calling it a \u201cstate-of-the-art project\u201d, he said the government had deployed police personnel, Rescue 1122 services, ambulances and other basic facilities along the corridor to facilitate commuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister said the provincial government had undertaken several difficult decisions to improve public services and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have taken some tough decisions. The public will have to face hardship, and we are apologising for that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responding to comparisons with Punjab, he said Karachi faced unique challenges that distinguished it from other cities and provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the minister, around 20 per cent of the city\u2019s water shortfall was being met through tanker services, which further contributed to traffic congestion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that people from across Pakistan continued to come to Karachi in search of employment and better opportunities, increasing pressure on the metropolis\u2019 civic infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDespite so many challenges, Karachi is coping, and we also have to provide facilities. When people from outside come and use the infrastructure, drainage systems, and resources, it puts additional pressure on Karachi,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/2005655\/sharjeel-laments-low-priority-accorded-to-karachi-by-centre#ppp-to-clean-sweep-gb-elections\"><\/a><strong>PPP to clean sweep GB elections<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Memon also commented on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/2005451\">upcoming<\/a>&nbsp;Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) elections, expressing confidence that the PPP would \u201cclean sweep\u201d the polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Referring to former PML-N leader Captain Safdar, he said his political importance was well known. He alleged that GB had historically been given low priority, claiming that individuals with no significant political role elsewhere were often posted there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also criticised the tone of political discourse during elections in the region, saying that the use of abusive language by some political actors was regrettable and brought shame to the democratic process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Discussing the electoral campaign, he said the PPP\u2019s public gatherings in GB had attracted large crowds, while the PML-N\u2019s rallies had seen comparatively lower turnout. He maintained that this reflected growing public support for the PPP in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said he was confident that the PPP would secure victory in the GB elections, while predicting defeat for the PML-N.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KARACHI(National Times)- Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday criticised the federal government for what he described as a \u201clow priority\u201d approach towards Karachi, arguing that the country\u2019s largest city continues to shoulder immense economic and infrastructural burdens despite its significant contribution to the national economy. Speaking to the media in Karachi, Memon said [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sharjeel laments \u2018low priority\u2019 accorded to Karachi by Centre - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/127127\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sharjeel laments \u2018low priority\u2019 accorded to Karachi by Centre - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"KARACHI(National Times)- Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday criticised the federal government for what he described as a \u201clow priority\u201d approach towards Karachi, arguing that the country\u2019s largest city continues to shoulder immense economic and infrastructural burdens despite its significant contribution to the national economy. 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