The under-construction Shahrah-e-Bhutto will be fully completed and opened for the public on May 23. The landmark corridor will dramatically reduce travel time, ease Karachi’s crippling traffic burden and transform the city’s transport infrastructure.
This announcement was made by Sindh Senior Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Memon and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah as they visited on Sunday Shahrah-e-Bhutto to review progress in the mega development scheme.
They termed it one of the most significant infrastructure projects undertaken in Karachi in recent years. Memon said the expressway was being constructed under a public-private partnership model, which he described as one of Sindh’s most successful governance initiatives.
He added that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would formally inaugurate the project in the next few days. He said the completion of Shahrah-e-Bhutto would provide massive travel relief to Karachi’s residents by converting journeys previously taking hours into trips of only a few minutes.
He further revealed that the groundbreaking ceremony for another major infrastructure initiative — a bridge corridor linking Karachi Port to Qayyumabad — would also soon be performed. Memon maintained that the Sindh government had fulfilled promises made to the public regarding infrastructure development and modern transport facilities. He accused opponents of the PPP of engaging only in political propaganda.
Speaking on the occasion, Shah said work on Shahrah-e-Bhutto had continued day and night in line with the vision of Bilawal. He added that several other development schemes were also progressing rapidly across Sindh, while major roads throughout Karachi were being upgraded and modernised.
Describing the expressway as a historic gift for Karachi’s citizens from Bilawal and President Asif Ali Zardari, the local government minister said the project would permanently transform the city’s commuting landscape by drastically reducing travelling time.
Memon said Sindh had introduced an effective public-private partnership model that was now being recognised nationally. Referring to recent remarks by the prime minister, he claimed that even the federal government had acknowledged that other provinces should learn from Sindh’s public-private partnership framework.
He added that several major projects across Sindh were successfully progressing under the same model and noted that the United Nations had also honoured the Shahrah-e-Bhutto project with an award, and Karachi had emerged as a leading city in the field of public-private partnerships.
Commenting on speculation regarding possible constitutional or administrative amendments, Memon said the federal government had not yet formally contacted the Sindh government on any such proposal. He advised the public not to pay attention to rumours.
He added that if any future amendment prioritised public welfare and national interest, the Sindh government would support it. Turning to politics, the senior minister launched a sharp attack on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), claiming its politics had effectively come to an end. He alleged that the party had lost public support and accused it of historically promoting division and hatred in Karachi’s politics.
Memon stated that the MQM’s boycott of the last local government elections in Sindh reflected its retreat from active political competition, adding that alliances formed against the PPP in the future would ultimately face defeat.
Referring to Fazlur Rehman, he described the JUI-F chief as a senior and respected politician, stating that dialogue among political parties remained a constitutional and democratic right within the country’s political framework.
