Sindh seeks China’s help to turn Karachi into a smart city
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has sought China’s assistance in transforming Karachi into a smart city through improved urban planning, public transport, digital services and modern infrastructure. The Karachi smart city proposal was discussed during a meeting with Shanghai Mayor Zhu Zhongming in China, where Shah also suggested establishing a sister-city partnership between Karachi and Shanghai.
According to a statement issued by CM House, the chief minister said both cities were major commercial and port hubs and could benefit from closer cooperation in transport, technology, infrastructure and investment.
What Sindh wants from Shanghai
Shah sought Shanghai’s expertise in smart-city management, integrated urban planning and digital governance to improve public services in Karachi.
He highlighted ongoing development initiatives, including the Karachi Circular Railway and projects aimed at improving the city’s IT infrastructure.
The two sides discussed opportunities to strengthen economic ties and attract investment through business partnerships and institutional cooperation. The Shanghai mayor welcomed the proposal for closer collaboration.
The Karachi Circular Railway, a long-delayed mass transit project, featured prominently in the pitch. Reviving it has been a recurring promise of successive governments, and pairing it with Chinese smart-city expertise gives the project a fresh framing.
Karachi smart city: Huawei’s role in the plan
During his visit, Shah also toured Huawei’s research and development centre in Shanghai and invited the company to establish technology laboratories and research facilities in Karachi.
He proposed cooperation in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure to support Sindh’s digital transformation.
The chief minister said closer cooperation with Chinese institutions and technology companies could help modernise Karachi and create new investment and employment opportunities. Sindh is reaching out to 100 firms to boost youth employment in parallel, another sign that the province is courting private capital.
The Huawei outreach is not happening in isolation. Sindh has already signed an MoU with Huawei for an “AI-native digital province”, which we reported this week. The Shanghai visit builds directly on that agreement, moving from a provincial digital framework to a city-level smart infrastructure pitch backed by Chinese firms.
Karachi’s port also keeps it central to trade flows. We recently covered advance cargo clearance rules at Karachi Port, another sign of the city’s commercial weight, the same weight Shah cited when proposing the Shanghai sister-city link.
A Karachi–Shanghai partnership would pair two of Asia’s biggest port cities. Whether the smart-city promises translate into funded projects will depend on what the Chinese side commits to after the handshakes, something worth watching in the coming weeks.
The original reporting on this development was published by ProPakistani.
FAQ
What did Sindh ask China for?
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah sought China’s help in making Karachi a smart city, covering urban planning, public transport, digital services and infrastructure, and proposed a Karachi–Shanghai sister-city partnership.
What is the Karachi Circular Railway?
The KCR is a long-delayed mass transit project for Karachi. Shah highlighted it among the ongoing development initiatives during his meeting with the Shanghai mayor.
What did Shah discuss with Huawei?
He toured Huawei’s R&D centre in Shanghai, invited the company to set up technology laboratories and research facilities in Karachi, and proposed cooperation in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.
