Sindh govt, Chinese firm to sign MoU for establishment of new port city

As the Sindh Cabinet formally approves the establishment of Zulfikarabad city near district Thatta, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the mega project will soon be signed with a Chinese firm, stated Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri.
Briefing the newsmen after the cabinet meeting held at Sindh Secretariat on Saturday that was chaired by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, the minister said President Asif Zardari and Managing Director Zulfikarabad city will shortly visit China where a MoU will be signed with the Chinese firm however she refused to disclose the name and hinted at SEZ.
She said the cabinet meeting discussed in detail the mega Zulfikarabad project and it was informed that a MoU in this regard would be signed with a Chinese company soon during the coming visit to China of President Asif Ali Zardari.
On the queries of media about the Chinese company she only said that it was called SEZ. She said the Chinese company, which wanted to keep it in low profile, would be responsible for adversary, consultancy, investment and facilitation aspect of the project, owned by the Sindh government and executed through Zulfikarabad Development Authority (ZDA). To a question about the boycott of Sindh culture minister Sassui Palejo of the cabinet meeting, she insisted that the meeting had fully listened to the proposal of Sassui Palejo regarding Zulfikarabad Development Authority.
She said the cabinet meeting also decided in principle to raise the quota of women in government jobs at all levels to 25 percent against the previous five percent. She said this would be big step ahead for empowerment of women in Sindh. Marri said that cabinet meeting also approved in principle amendments in the Registration Act; however, further modalities in this regard would be finalized with consultation of ruling coalition partners.
While talking to newsmen after the cabinet meeting, Sindh Minister for Culture Sasui Palijo said she had boycotted the meeting to lodge a protest against the mega city project of Zulfikarabad
Palijo said that the elected PPP leaders from Thatta were not taken into confidence over the project that was why she protested. ‘I was stopped to raise voice and express my stance over the project’, she added.