KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Pakistan, Elizabeth Horst, on Wednesday met here at CM House and discussed areas of mutual interest, including climate change, social uplift, and the economy.
CM Secretary Raheem Shaikh, American Consul General Scott Urbom, Political Officer Jerrod Hansen, and others attended the meeting.
Discussing climate change, the CM said that Sindh suffered significantly in 2022 when heavy rains and floods destroyed over 2.1 million houses.
He added that, with the assistance of donor agencies and a contribution of Rs57 billion from the provincial government, along with a matching grant from the federal government, the construction of damaged houses has commenced, and so far, 800,000 climate-resilient houses have been built. Shah said that his government was seeking donor agencies to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities for the houses. “We are also planning to provide them with solar power, for which financial assistance is required.
The visiting diplomat discussed Karachi, a port city with ample opportunities for investment and development. In response, the CM said that, with the assistance of the Work Competitive & Liveable City of Karachi (CLICK), efforts have been launched to improve the livability and competitiveness of Karachi by enhancing institutional performance and supporting activities for private sector investment. He added that the main objective is to enhance efficiencies in Sindh’s business regulatory environment. Discussing education, the Chief Minister said that his government has started diverting a major portion of the annual budget towards the development of the education sector.
He mentioned that Sindh government has made tangible improvements in the health sector, while stating that there is still a need to achieve desired results in education.
Elizabeth Horst also emphasised the importance of modernizing agriculture to enhance rural livelihoods. CM Shah affirmed Sindh’s commitment to this goal, mentioning the province’s work on promoting low-deltaic, high-yield crop varieties.
The visiting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary discussed the modernisation of the agriculture sector to transform life in rural areas. In response, the CM said that his government was working diligently to introduce low-deltaic, high-yielding crops in the province.
To conclude the meeting, the CM presented Ms Elizabeth Horst with a traditional Sindhi Ajrak made by differently-abled children to the guest, to which she expressed her gratitude to the Sindh Chief Minister.
