29th Public Policy, Governance Course Punjab delegation calls on CS Sindh

KARACHI, Jun 30 (APP):A delegation comprising 34 officers participating in the 29th Public Policy and Governance Course of Punjab Province, being conducted for promotion from BS-18 to BS-19, called on Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Asif Hyder Shah during their study visit to Sindh.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Secretary Sindh welcomed the delegation and said that Sindh has undertaken several landmark initiatives in the fields of energy, housing, public safety, infrastructure, public-private partnership, disaster management and social development.

The Chief Secretary said that Sindh’s achievements such as Thar Coal and the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees project are major examples of long-term public sector vision, institutional coordination and development-oriented governance.

He said that the province has developed a structured disaster management and emergency response system through PDMA and Rescue 1122, while work is also underway to upgrade fire and rescue services in the province.

Syed Asif Hyder Shah said that Sindh has made significant progress in Public Private Partnership. He noted that the province initially implemented PPP projects in the road sector, later expanded the model to the health sector, and is now moving towards major and complex projects in the water sector. He said that PPP has emerged as an important instrument for delivering public infrastructure and services in a financially sustainable manner.

During the visit, detailed briefings were given to the delegation by Sindh Police, the Planning & Development Department and the Sindh People’s Housing Foundation. The briefing was attended by Chairman Planning & Development Board, Additional IG Karachi, Chief Executive Officer Sindh People’s Housing Foundation and other senior officers.

The Sindh Police briefing covered institutional strength, crime trends, action against organized crime, policing in Kacha areas, public service delivery, Safe City initiatives, highway patrol, investigation reforms, police welfare, health insurance and future policing priorities.

The delegation was informed that Sindh Police is the second largest police organization in Pakistan, with a sanctioned strength of 170,696, working strength of 134,234, in 31 districts, 618 police stations and a total budget of Rs. 193.1 billion.

It was further informed that major crime indicators in the province have shown improvement, with terrorism major incidents reduced to zero in 2025 and 2026, while dacoity or robbery, vehicle snatching and motorcycle snatching have also shown a declining trend.

The briefing highlighted that Karachi’s street crime showed a decline of 9.59 percent during the period from January 1 to June 22, 2026, compared to the same period of 2025. Violent incidents during robberies in Karachi also decreased, with persons killed and injured during robberies declining by 38.83 percent.

The Planning & Development Department briefed the delegation on Sindh’s development framework, institutional mandate, ADP formulation, project approvals, monitoring, digital governance, international development partnerships and reform agenda.

It was informed that Sindh has a population of around 55.7 million, is the most urbanised province with nearly 54 percent urbanisation, and is the second largest provincial economy of Pakistan. The Planning & Development Department is the central planning authority of the province and approves provincially funded development schemes up to Rs. 10 billion through the provincial forum.

The delegation was informed that the department has digitised the development portfolio through the Sindh Development Portfolio Management System and Budget Book Management System. The ADP 2026-27 formulation has been made fully digital for the first time in the province’s history, ensuring transparency, traceability and evidence-based planning.

The P&D Department also briefed that 27 foreign-funded projects are under active implementation in Sindh, with a cumulative value of Rs. 1,942.76 billion. Foreign Project Assistance accounts for around 88 percent of the active portfolio, while the Government of Sindh contributes the remaining share. The province is working with major development partners including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, AIIB, AFD, European Union, USAID, JICA, UN agencies and the Green Climate Fund.

The Sindh People’s Housing Foundation briefed the delegation on the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees initiative, described as the world’s largest housing initiative. It was informed that the project has a funding portfolio of around US$ 2.2 billion and is being implemented with support from international partners.

The delegation was informed that 1.65 million bank accounts have been opened, 1.6 million houses are under construction and 1 million houses have been completed under the project. The initiative is not only providing resilient housing to flood-affected families but is also promoting financial inclusion, women empowerment and livelihood generation at an unprecedented scale.

The SPHF briefing highlighted that the project represents one of the largest asset-transfer initiatives in Pakistan’s history, particularly empowering women beneficiaries. It was further informed that the housing initiative has created around 1 million jobs, formed 39,345 Village Reconstruction Committees, and brought millions of families into formal financial systems through bank accounts.

During the question-answer session, the participants of the delegation stated that during their visit they had witnessed remarkable and commendable work in Sindh’s housing, Thar Coal and Public-Private Partnership projects; however, these important achievements had not been highlighted in the manner they deserved.

In response, Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Asif Hyder Shah said that Thar Coal and the Sindh People’s Housing projects are major and historic initiatives of the Government of Sindh, which need to be effectively projected and promoted not only at the provincial level but also at the federal level, so that Sindh’s development model can be better recognised across the country.

The delegation thanked the Chief Secretary Sindh and the concerned departments for the comprehensive briefing and appreciated the initiatives of the Government of Sindh in public policy, governance, development planning, policing, housing and institutional reforms.