Direct flight, shipping service between Dhaka - Karachi to boost trade

Direct flight, shipping service between Dhaka - Karachi to boost trade

KARACHI (Sept 25): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, during his meeting with Bangladesh’s Home Secretary Naseem-ul-Ghani and High Commissioner Iqbal Hussain Khan, agreed that there was a dire need to start direct flight and ferry service between Karachi and Dhaka to boost trade and people-to-people contact.

The meeting also covered the prospect of launching direct flights between Karachi and Bangladesh to boost trade. Chief Minister Shah noted that such connections would strengthen economic ties. The Bangladeshi Secretary recalled that a direct shipping service had recently been established by a private company but had since stopped and appealed to the Sindh CM to help resume it through federal channels.

Reflecting on urban safety, CM Shah said Karachi, once dubbed one of the most dangerous cities in the world, now ranks 85th on the global crime index – a marked improvement.

“Our efforts to curb crime and improve law and order have produced results, but still there are some challenges which would be met once the complete safe city project is launched, CM Shah said.

Sindh Home Secretary Iqbal Memon, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, and Secretary to the CM Abdul Rahim Sheikh also attended the meeting held at CM House on Thursday.

During the meeting, Chief Minister Shah warmly welcomed Secretary Ghani. Discussions focused on the Safe City project, with government spokespersons confirming that the Sindh administration had initiated the project. The Chief Minister shared that a Command-and-Control Centre was established at the IG Office, powered by AI, capable of reading number plates and facial recognition.

Bangladesh Home Secretary Mr Ghani visited the Command-and-Control Centre and expressed keen interest in leveraging Sindh’s experience for Bangladesh’s own Safe City initiatives. He said Bangladesh would seek cooperation from the Sindh government.