Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has acknowledged that successive governments, including his own, have made mistakes that contributed to Karachi's present condition, and has stressed the need for effective urban planning to address the city's longstanding challenges. Shah was speaking on Saturday at the Sindh Cities Forum 2026, organised at the Golf Club's Convention Centre by the Sindh Master Planning Authority in collaboration with NED University and UN-Habitat to mark World Cities Day.

Shah said his provincial government is working on master plans for 31 cities to ensure planned, sustainable and inclusive urban development, with Karachi and Hyderabad among the major cities whose plans are being prepared. According to the provincial minister for local government, housing and town planning, master plans for 17 cities have been completed while work on the remaining 14 is in its final stages, and notifications have so far been issued for nine cities, including Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Mithi, Islamkot, Dadu, Nawabshah and Naushahro Feroze. Work on the Karachi and Hyderabad plans is progressing rapidly, with international consultants engaged for Karachi.

Correcting Karachi is the hard part

Preparing a master plan for a new city from scratch is relatively easier, Shah said; correcting the existing situation in Karachi is a major challenge for consultants and urban planners, who must provide recommendations not only for improving the city's condition but for ensuring the plan is actually implemented. He pointed to unplanned construction, traffic congestion, water shortages, inadequate drainage and the effects of climate change, as well as illegal constructions along the city's stormwater drains, where shops have been built and allotted. A Ring Road is also being constructed in Hyderabad, he said, as part of the wider effort to give Sindh's cities organised, long-term development rather than piecemeal fixes.