Karachi: In a major development, the Sindh government of the Pakistan People’s Party has put all its attention on Mayor Murtaza Wahab. Continuous controversy Islamabad’s role in Pakistan Infrastructure Development Corporation (PIDCL) in Karachi’s rapid transit (BRT) green line expansion project.
The Sindh government, led by the PPP, said the project was not outside the authority of the federal organization and required PIDCL to be the first to “get out of the development project” “earliest” and “exit”.
The move came on Friday when the Sindh local government department sent a letter to the head of PIDCL, following the instructions of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The letter was sent after a conference hero at CM House, the chief minister wrote in an ongoing development in the city, and the latest controversy arising from Mayor Wahab’s decision to block the Green Line BRT Extension project of PIDCL’s “procedural violations.”
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), led by the Sindh government, was suspended last week’s Rs 6 billion green line project, citing PIDCL’s failure to obtain No Objection Certification (NOC) from the municipality before work.
Regarding the instructions of CM, the LG Ministry requires PIDCL to withdraw from the uplift project as soon as possible
KMC officials said NOC was not issued “permanently” and required PIDCL to obtain new approvals for work.
Later, chat dawnMayor Wahab publicly stated that he intends to exclude PIDCL from infrastructure development projects in Karachi.
After the announcement of the classification, Sindh Chief Minister and the provincial government appeared to be in line with the mayor’s position, formally limiting federal organizations to their “an agreed mandate.”
“Getting the attention of the children, according to a clear understanding reached with the federal government, PIDCL is, as the successor organization now defct Pak-PWD, only required to take over and execute specific development plans. PAK-PWD’s Purview and does not include other development plans related to Sindh Province,” said Purview.
However, the letter pointed out with a “focus” that the company expanded its role to other developments in Sindh, beyond the agreed scope.
The letter said: “The Karachi Urban Infrastructure Development Plan and Hyderabad Urban Infrastructure Development Plan are provincial initiatives and are not authorized by PIDCL. The government and creates obstacles to coordinate development efforts.”
The mayor also stressed last week that any project in Karachi, regardless of federal funding, should be conducted through local agencies. He said that if a project is related to a specific town, it should be managed by the respective town governments. KMC should be held responsible for projects throughout the city.
Sindh leadership now recognizes the mayor’s position.
The letter added: “PIDCL’s role is required to withdraw from any other development project within the Sindh province as early as possible and ensure that PIDCL’s participation is strictly limited to a portfolio of plans inherited from the sold Pack-PWD.”
Posted at Dawn on September 27, 2025
