KARACHI: In an important development, the Sindh government on Thursday approved to create new districts in Sindh province including Karachi.

The Sindh cabinet meeting held in port city under the chair of Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has approved to make Keemari Town s seventh district of the city.

The cabinet recommended to include areas of SITE, Baldia and Harbour into district Keemari and also proposed making Maripur as another new district.

There are currently seven sub-divisions in District West, Karachi and it is the second-largest district in Sindh according to population-wise, the cabinet told.

During the meeting, CM Murad Ali Shah proposed to rename District South in Karachi with South Karachi. “The districts in the city should be named after their popular areas,” suggested Murad in the meeting.

The cabinet members also put forward a suggestion to divide Khairpur into two districts.

Speaking over the local government institutions, Murad Ali Shah said that Sindh was the only province where local government institutions have completed a five-year term.

“We [Sindh govenrment] allowed Mayor Waseem Akhtar to work freely with all resources and supported him for the uplift of Karachi,” said Shah.

He said that the provincial government was working on a new local government system and will make new amendments.

It is pertinent to mention here that with the addition of new district, number of the administrative districts has gone up from six to seven including South, West, East, Central, Malir, Korangi and Keemari districts.

According to the map, the district South Karachi comprises seven sub-divisions including Saddar, Arambagh, Civil Line, Garden, Lyari, Harbour and Maripur.

District East Karachi consists of four sub-divisions including Ferozabad, Jamshed Quarters, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulzar-e-Hijri (Scheme-33).

District Malir Karachi comprising six sub-divisions including Bin Qasim, Ibrahim Hydri, Shah Mureed, Gaddap, Airport and Murad Memon.