Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved the second phase of the Karachi Safe City Project, allocating Rs9.98 billion for the installation of over 2,300 surveillance cameras across the city, with work expected to begin next month.

KARACHI: The Sindh Apex Committee reviewed the tense security situation following the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran and the resulting chaos in Karachi on Wednesday and decided to ensure the protection of foreigners and conduct targeted operations against terrorism. The 33rd meeting of the provincial apex committee, a high-level forum of civil and military leadership, was held at the Sindh Chief Minister House to conduct a comprehensive review of the progress under the National Ac...

A collision between a car and a trailer on Monday claimed six lives on the National Highway in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze District, officials said. Naushahro Feroze Senior Superintendent of Police Mir Rohal Khoso told Dawn that all six people who died were travelling in the car, while the trailer’s driver was injured. He said the accident took place between 5am and 6am, adding that “ostensibly, speeding and brake failure were probable reasons,” but the matter was being probed further. SSP Khoso elaborated that one side of the National Highway in the district was under construction, which was a “contributory factor behind increasing accidents”. He stated that, in collaboration with the motorway police, it has been decided to set up five points for checking the speed and fitness of vehicles to control the rise in accidents. Sindh Inspector General (IG) Javed Alam Odho, in a statement, ordered the Naushahro Feroze SSP to probe the accident and register a case. Expressing his grief over the loss of lives, IG Odho ordered that legal action be taken against those responsible after determining the causes behind the accident. Fatal road accidents on highways occur frequently in Pakistan, with the main reasons including speeding, hazardous overtaking, and disregard for traffic rules. On Sunday, at least 11 people were killed and eight were injured after a bus collided with a trailer on the National Highway near Tando Masti in Sindh’s Khairpur district. A day before that, 13 people died in a traffic accident involving an oil tanker and a passenger bus on the M9 Motorway near Karachi. Crackdown against overloading and speeding ordered In his statement, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the accident and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. “We share the grief of the bereaved families,” he was quoted as saying in the statement issued by his spokesperson, Abdul Rasheed Channa. The statement said that the car involved in the incident was heading from Larkana Division’s Nasirabad taluka to Karachi. CM Murad also issued directives for the strict implementation of traffic rules and regulations. He ordered the Sindh IG to carry out a “crackdown against overloading and speeding”. He further directed that monitoring and fitness checks of vehicles be made more stringent across the province. “The protection of the public’s life and property is the government’s top responsibility,” the chief minister noted.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced a province-wide fare freeze after successful negotiations with transporters. This decision follows recent increases in petroleum prices due to the global oil crisis.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, assuring full federal cooperation for the timely completion of infrastructure development projects in Sindh.

The Sindh Chief Minister has assured affected shopkeepers from the ill-fated Gul Plaza in Karachi that they will be temporarily accommodated in other city markets.

The Sindh Chief Minister disclosed that over 14,000 schools damaged by the 2022 floods in Pakistan's Sindh province are still awaiting restoration, out of nearly 20,000 affected.

KARACHI: A fire broke out at a chemical factory in Karachi’s SITE area on Tuesday, Rescue 1122 said. Spokesperson Rescue 1122, in a statement, said that the chemical factory was located near Valika Chowrangi and efforts were underway to control the fire. “A fire brigade truck, along with rescue teams, was immediately dispatched to the site of the incident, as soon as the Rescue 1122 received report of the incident,” the spokesperson added. A contingent of Sindh Rangers personnel was also dispatched to the site of the incident, their spokesperson said in a statement. “Rangers personnel are actively participating in the relief activities and rescue operation along with the fire brigade and rescue personnel,” the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab took notice of the incident. In a post on X, Mayor Wahab said, “KMC fire team is attending to the fire incident reported at a factory in SITE Industrial Area. Will keep everyone posted.” According to an earlier statement, Mayor Wahab had “directed all departments of the KMC to stay alert”. He issued instructions to utilise all available resources for the rescue operation. The statement added that the “water board authorities were also instructed to take emergency measures”. “All possible steps should be taken to control the fire,” the mayor was quoted as saying. “There will be no compromise made on the safety of human lives,” he added. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, as per a statement, directed Mayor Wahab and the commissioner to supervise the rescue efforts and investigate the cause of the fire. The incident comes a day after a huge fire erupted in the bushes near the University of Karachi (KU). It was brought under control later.