CPEC opportunities have made Sindh a better destination: Chief Minister

Karachi: Pakistani Sindh province Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) opportunities had made Sindh a better destination.

Shah made these statements while addressing a 230-member delegation comprising participants of the National Defence University’s National Security and War Course 2022, and led by Major General Rahat Naseem Ahmed Khan at the CM’s House.

The CM pointed out that Covid-19 had affected the world but “we are now moving out of the pandemic.” He maintained that his provincial government was framing an effective policy to mitigate the negative impacts of Covid-19 and to cash in on the opportunities in the post-pandemic world.

“The post-Covid international scenario has lowered the risk outlook for Pakistan, and the CPEC opportunities have made Sindh a better destination, promising healthy returns on investment with the ease of doing business and high-impact sustainable business growth,” he remarked.

The CM said Karachi was a lucrative place for an illicit drug market because of it being a mega city as well as an international conduit for narcotics.

“Narcotics have indirectly been involved in terror financing,” he pointed out, adding that better coordination was required among intelligence, military, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and provincial governments in order to bring this menace to an end.

He noted that the proliferation of sophisticated weapons also needed to be monitored, so he had directed all the relevant agencies to continue patrolling the unfrequented routes.

He stressed that Pakistan’s border management system must also be improved to control unauthorised influx of foreign nationals, and added that the international community must do more to house and support Afghan refugees.

The CM mentioned that the budget of the Sindh police had been increased from Pakistani Rs 51.2 billion in 2013 to Rs 106.9 billion in 2021.

“We have established a Special Security Unit, purchased arms and ammunition, and vehicles in large numbers,” he said, adding that the new police law had been legislated in 2019 to give complete operational autonomy to the police.

The participants included officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces, 23 civil servants, and a large number of senior military officers from 15 different countries of the world.