Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has said Dhabeji Special Economic Zone will attract three billion dollars in investment and generate over one hundred thousand job opportunities. Chairing a review meeting of the Zone in Karachi on Wednesday, he said that this zone would be a game changer in the province. He said the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone has priority status under CPEC.
Sindh CM Murad Shah also criticised the Punjab government for opening the Taunsa-Panjnad (TP) Link Canal.
He said Sindh government has written to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) over the transfer of water from the Indus River after the canal was opened on Tuesday. The Sindh irrigation director regulations wrote requesting that the transfer of water from the Indus River to the Jhelum-Chenab system be stopped.
While inaugurating the Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Karachi’s Dow University of Health Sciences, the chief minister slammed the canal opening, adding that Punjab was weakening its own case, while ours is getting stronger, a press release said.
On February 15, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir inaugurated the ambitious Cholistan project to irrigate south Punjab’s lands amid public uproar and strong reservations in Sindh. The Sindh Assembly also passed a unanimous resolution against the project in March. The past few months have seen nationwide protests from political parties and civilians against the proposed canal project.
In February, the Awami Tehreek staged a 12-kilometre-long march in Karachi to protest against the project, while the PPP in March staged demonstrations and rallies across Sindh against the new canals. Earlier in April, the Grand Democratic Alliance and PTI staged a sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club and led a rally to Empress Market against the proposed construction of the canals.
The nationwide protests were held against corporate farming, the construction of six canals, the lack of wheat support price, and the privatisation of Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation.
According to the press release, the inauguration ceremony for the cancer centre was attended by Higher Education Commission Sindh Chairman Professor Tariq Rafi, Dow University Vice Chancellor Dr Saeed Qureshi, medical professionals, provincial secretaries, government officials and others.