‘Sindh needs to focus on economic planning’

Firdous Shamim Naqvi insists focus should be on creating jobs for people

KARACHI: Sindh's economy has been shaken by the coronavirus crisis and it is crucial that the province's economic condition is improved with greater focus on economic planning, insisted opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi in a letter to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Sunday.

Discussing the financial state of the province, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA stated that Sindh's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 was $1,400 per capita - three times that of the rest of the country.

He added that according to past statistics, Sindh's share in Pakistan's GDP has been between 30 to 32.7 per cent overall, 21 to 27.8 per cent in the service sector, 21.4 to 27.7 per cent in the agricultural sector and 36.7 to 46.5 per cent in the manufacturing sector.

Naqvi pointed out that though Sindh is a major centre for economic activity, most of its areas do not pay taxes as they have not been registered. He stressed that a strategy must be developed to promote employment and job creation in the province, adding that a committee should be set up for this purpose.

Naqvi also highlighted that the private sector needed to be promoted, asserting that most of the state's capital should be spent on areas where more jobs could potentially be created.

Meanwhile, he expressed appreciation for the Sindh government's development of successful projects such as the K-IV Water Project and Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit over the last 12 years.

He maintained that he appreciated the 'new version' of the CM and hoped to see Shah continue to be brave, decisive and honest.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2020.