KARACHI, Pakistan: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Karachi on Friday to preside over a meeting on law and order in the metropolitan city, a day after the Sindh Rangers in a report revealed that over Rs230 billion is collected illegally in Karachi annually.
Upon his arrival in Karachi, the prime minister who was accompanied by the federal ministers including Ishaq Dar and Khurram Dastgir Khan was received by the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.
During his day-long stay in Karachi, the prime minister will hold a meeting with representatives of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
The prime minister is also expected to preside over a meeting on law and order during which key decisions could be taken in the light of Rangers report revealing that more than Rs230 billion are being generated annually from citizens of Karachi through extortion and other illegal activities.
In a detailed briefing given to the Sindh apex committee, the Director General (DG) of Rangers Sindh Major General Bilal Akbar told that over Rs230 billion is collected illegally in Karachi annually and the money is used for the purchase of arms and ammunition.
The DG Rangers said that a large part of illegal businesses in Karachi is the distribution system of water which also involved illegal means of making money
. He also noted that the money made from sale of sacrificial animal hides is used for funding terrorist activities.
Earlier in the day, the prime minister inaugurated Byco Oil Refinery in Balochistan’s Hub district which will help reduce country’s dependence on the import of petroleum products by over 50 percent.
The refinery has been completed at a cost of $7.5 million with a capacity of refining 155000 barrel crude oil per day.
In his address at the inaugural ceremony, Nawaz Sharif said that the project will not only help in development of Balochistan but will also create job opportunities. He said that $750 million investment will be made in the second phase of the project.
Moreover, the prime minister said that Gwadar will be made a free port.
