Sindh CM departs for China to attract foreign investment, boost local manufacturing

KARACHI  –  Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has departed for China on an im­portant visit aimed at attracting for­eign investment to the province and promoting local manufacturing.

On Saturday late night, the Acting Chinese Consul General in Karachi ar­rived at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi to see off the Chief Minis­ter. They discussrd the visit’s schedule and planned meetings. Sindh Ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon, Jam Khan Sho­ro, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Syed Qasim Naveed and Sindh Agricul­ture Minister Muhammad Bux Mahar are accompanying the Chief Minister as part of the delegation.

According to the Chief Minister’s spokesperson, Murad Ali Shah will hold key meetings during his visit to explore investment opportunities for Sindh. The Sindh government has also decided to organize an investment conference in Shanghai, where leading Chinese state-owned companies are expected to participate.

Billboards highlighting the Chief Minister’s visit to China and the in­vestment conference have also been displayed across Karachi. Speaking about the objectives of the visit, Murad Ali Shah said that investment was es­sential for the prosperity of Sindh.

He said that the visit aimed to attract foreign investors, strengthen local man­ufacturing and explore opportunities to modernize agriculture and expand pharmaceutical production. The Chief Minister added that cooperation with China would help further strengthen Sindh’s industrial capabilities.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has voiced concern over delays in Karachi Circular Rail­way (KCR) revival, saying the project should have become operational a long time ago. Talking to reporters at Sukkur airport before going to Khair­pur on Saturday, he said Chinese offi­cials had previously assured Pakistan of their support for the project, but it was side-lined during a previous fed­eral government, resulting in delays.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with the level of support provided by the fed­eral government for the revival of the project, saying Sindh had not received the assistance the key transport scheme warranted. The Sindh government had approached the Asian Development Bank for $21 billion financial assistance to revive the KCR project. The KCR was included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in December 2016 at the request of the Sindh government. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government had opted to revive it on a build-operate-transfer basis under a public-private partnership model, with heavy subsidies for the private partner. That plan was later abandoned by the subsequent PDM-led government, which shifted back to seeking Chinese invest­ment under CPEC. However, the proj­ect continued to face delays and even a planned visit by the Sindh CM to China for financial and technical assistance in September 2025 never materialised.