Karachi: Significant developments have emerged regarding the future of the 4,000 acres of land previously owned by the Steel Mills. Provincial Minister for Commerce and Industry Jam Ikramullah Dharejo announced that this land will not be auctioned but will instead be developed into a Chinese Special Export Economic Zone. This decision is part of broader efforts to promote local and foreign investments in the region.

According to Council of Economic and Energy Journalists, Minister Dharejo clarified that the Steel Mill’s land, originally provided by the Sindh government for the mill’s establishment, remains under provincial control. The land will be offered to Chinese investors at special rates within the new economic zone. The minister emphasized that any future sale of the land should benefit the Sindh government financially.

The minister also discussed plans for the Nooriabad Industrial Zone’s third phase and the establishment of a modern Special Economic Zone on Hub River Road, both under public-private partnerships. These zones are part of a larger initiative driven by the vision of Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to create new industrial areas in every district of Sindh and to support the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Minister Dharejo expressed concerns over the federal bureaucracy’s attitude towards Sindh’s development projects and called for a fairer distribution of tax revenues generated from Sindh to be reinvested in the province. He also highlighted ongoing issues with gas load shedding in Sindh, which he described as disproportionate given the province’s contribution to national gas production.