Sindh govt to hold investment conference in China: Sharjeel
KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the territory of Afghanistan is being used for terrorism in Pakistan, which we condemn.
Sharjeel said Pakistan’s armed forces are fighting the war against terrorism with courage and bravery, and we salute our armed forces. He said that President Asif Ali Zardari has made two or three visits to China. We salute Pak-China friendship; the friendship between Pakistan and China is higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the depth of the sea. Sindh and China’s province Hunan are known as sister provinces, and cooperation between the two is being further promoted.
Addressing a press conference at the Directorate of Electronic and Social Media, Sharjeel said that the Sindh government is holding an investment conference in China, which the Chief Minister of Sindh will also attend. He said that China Electric has also invested in the Thar Coal project, and agreements worth billions of rupees will be made at the investment conference being held in China, while MOUs and agreements in various sectors will also be signed.
He said that Sindh government has always tried to bring global investors to Sindh and inform the world about the wide opportunities for foreign investment in Pakistan. In the recent contacts between Sindh and Hunan, possibilities of cooperation in economic, trade, investment, technology and people-to-people relations were also discussed.
He said that excellent opportunities for foreign investment exist in various sectors in Pakistan. The government’s priority is to develop such projects through which foreign investment comes into Pakistan and helps take the country forward on the path of development.
He said that Pakistan has major opportunities in investment, industry, energy, infrastructure, transport and other sectors; we have to inform the world about these opportunities.
Sharjeel Memon said that the benefit obtained from the coal of Thar is not only being received by Sindh but by the whole of Pakistan. Thar coal is being supplied to the federation and electricity is being provided to different parts of the country through the national grid. He said that, on the one hand, Pakistan is still importing coal from abroad, while on the other hand, extensive coal reserves exist in Sindh.
He said that Thar Coal is a real investment for Pakistan, and in the future, possibilities can also be created for generating electricity from Thar coal and exporting it.
He said that approximately one billion dollars have been invested in the Thar Coal project, and the foundation of this project was laid during the previous five-year term of government. Unfortunately, other governments did not take the Thar Coal project so seriously, which caused loss to Pakistan. He said that Thar coal is being extracted in Sindh, and the whole nation should be happy about it because its benefits are being received by the whole of Pakistan.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said that since the Pakistan Peoples Party was established, it has faced various conspiracies and propaganda, but the Peoples Party gave major projects to the country. He said that the Constitution was made during the era of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and the eras of the Peoples Party also played an important role in the acquisition of nuclear power and missile technology. He said that the Sindh government of the Peoples Party is ready to give an account of its 18 years, and major projects have been completed in various sectors, including health.
He said that health facilities in Sindh are commendable throughout Pakistan, and millions of people from across the country come to Karachi for treatment. In Sindh’s hospitals, patients are not asked which province they belong to or where their identity card is from; providing treatment facilities to patients is our priority. The existing health facilities in Karachi were established and developed during the governments of the Pakistan Peoples Party, whereas 18 years ago, health facilities in Karachi were not at today’s level.
Sharjeel said that NICVD expanded the scope of treatment facilities across the country during the Peoples Party’s tenure, and today people from different areas of Pakistan come there for treatment. An entire book can be written on the work done in the health sector in Sindh. Health projects have been worked on in various cities, including Larkana, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Nawabshah, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Shahdadpur, Umerkot, Thatta and Karachi, and many projects are still ongoing. Modern treatment facilities for complex diseases, including liver transplantation, are available in Sindh.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said that if previous governments had introduced even one air-conditioned bus in Karachi, the media should mention that as well and also tell how many hospitals those governments established. He said that during the MQM’s era, not only Karachi but Pakistan also suffered losses; industries and business activities were damaged. Exporters had to complete and dispatch their orders within the stipulated time, but conditions were created in which even after three, four or five days, business activities would come to a halt and export orders would start being affected. Businesspeople know what the actual reasons for this situation were.
He said that at that time the MQM had power and influence. Serious incidents also occurred involving police officers who participated in the operation, and 35 SHOs were selectively killed. Officers who tried to seek protection by being posted in other cities were brought back to Karachi and targeted. He said that today some people present all these matters differently, but the circumstances and incidents of the era of MQM founder Altaf Hussain should also be kept in view. Those who used to defend these incidents while sitting on television at that time later established their own political parties after the decline of Altaf Hussain.
Sharjeel said that the MQM should not once again try to fuel ethnic conflict. Urdu-speaking, Sindhi-speaking and Pashto-speaking people have an equal right over this province and this city. The Urdu language is no longer merely a regional language; it has become a language used at the international level. Ethnic politics should not be conducted under the cover of Urdu. Attempts are being made to harm Pakistan by talking about ethnicity; no one can be allowed to once again resort to bullying, violence and ethnic politics.
Regarding the allegation made by Mustafa Kamal against Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of being an Indian agent, Sharjeel Inam Memon said that if Mustafa Kamal’s allegation was correct, he should stand by his position, and if the allegation was wrong, he should apologise to Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. He said that it was a serious allegation and this matter should be clarified.
In response to another question, Sharjeel Inam Memon said that they do not support the arrest of Imran Khan’s sisters and personally condemn their arrest. He said that political differences should not be taken to the women of the family. This tradition is not new; in the past too, political leaders and their family members were arrested. During Imran Khan’s government, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Faryal Talpur was arrested, while Maryam Nawaz was also arrested. Someone or the other will have to end this tradition, and political battles should not be brought to women and families.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026