Karachi Housing Societies & Projects
Karachi Housing Societies & Projects
Malir Expressway (Shahrah-e-Bhutto) Karachi: Route, Status and What Scheme 33 Buyers Should Check
Malir Expressway, now Shahrah-e-Bhutto, is open from Qayyumabad to the M-9: its route and interchanges, and SBCA checks before buying in Scheme 33 or Gadap.
In short
The Sindh PPP Unit describes a 38.75 km, 3×3 lane expressway with controlled access, from Qayyumabad Interchange to the M-9 near Kathore, with six interchanges. It lists the project as operational. Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari inaugurated it on 22 May 2026, and the Sindh Chief Minister put the road at 40 km (Radio Pakistan). It was built as a public-private partnership: design, build, finance, operate, maintain and transfer. Better access does not make a scheme legal. Check SBCA's lists before paying: SBCA's notices filed on 31 October 2024 list 10 entries in Scheme 33 and 7 in Gadap as having no NOC for sale and advertisement.
The Malir Expressway, now officially the Shahrah-e-Bhutto Expressway, links south Karachi with the Karachi to Hyderabad motorway (M-9) along the Malir River. It is open, and it puts Scheme 33, Gadap and the housing projects along the M-9 within easier reach of the city's southern districts. This guide sets out what the expressway is, according to the Sindh government, and the checks to make before you buy in a scheme that advertises itself as "near the expressway".
Facts below come from the Sindh government's Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Unit and from Radio Pakistan, checked on 28 October 2026.
Prices are indicative as of August 2026.
What the expressway is
The PPP Unit's project page says the Local Government Department, Government of Sindh, set out "to develop the shortest alternate route to connect Motorway/Super Highway with city center". It describes the project as "38.75 Kms 3×3 lane expressway with controlled access along the Malir River starting from Qayumabad Interchange and ending at Karachi–Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) near Kathore", which "will have 6 interchanges".
| According to the Sindh PPP Unit | |
|---|---|
| Length | 38.75 km |
| Lanes | 3×3, controlled access |
| Start | Qayyumabad Interchange |
| End | Karachi to Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) near Kathore |
| Interchanges | 6 |
| Model | Public-private partnership (design, build, finance, operate, maintain and transfer) |
| Department | Local Government and HTP Department, Sindh |
| Project cost listed | PKR 60.7 billion |
| Stage | Operational |
Radio Pakistan reported that on 22 May 2026 Bilawal Bhutto Zardari "inaugurated the Shahrah-e-Bhutto from Quaidabad to Kathor", and that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said "six interchanges have been constructed on the 40-kilometer road, which is connected to the M-9 motorway". Reported lengths differ slightly between sources, from 38.75 km to 40 km.
What it changes for buyers
The PPP Unit says the expressway was built to carry traffic from the port and industrial areas to the main highways and to serve "increased economic activities in the north of Karachi". For buyers, the practical change is access: Scheme 33, Gadap and the projects along the M-9 are now reached on a controlled-access road rather than only through the city.
What we could not find is official data on time saved or on price changes. Advertisements for projects along the corridor often claim both. Treat those claims as marketing until you can check them yourself.
For a sense of current prices, our Karachi property guide compares DHA, Bahria Town Karachi, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Scheme 33. On Zameen's index for August 2026, Scheme 33 houses averaged about PKR 23,000 per sq ft in asking prices.
Before you buy near the expressway: four checks
1. Has SBCA given the project an NOC for sale?
In Karachi, a project needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for sale and advertisement from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). SBCA publishes these year by year, with the builder, the NOC number and date, and a link to its letter. Our housing scheme checker lists every housing scheme on SBCA's pages from 2021 to 2026, each linked to SBCA's own letter.
2. Is it on SBCA's list of projects without an NOC?
SBCA has also published public notices naming projects that "SBCA has not granted any NOC for Sale & Advertisement" and warning the public "to refrain from booking / purchase of any unit in these projects". Of the 52 entries in those notices, filed on SBCA's site on 31 October 2024 (a project may have got an NOC since):
- 10 entries were in Scheme 33, including Ideal Gold Town (Sector 50), Graduates Homes, Meraj One Luxury (Sector 52-A) and RYS Residency (Pili Bheet CHS);
- 7 entries were in Gadap, and 7 on the Northern Bypass. Meraj One Luxury counts in both Scheme 33 and Gadap, and DJ Residency appears twice.
You can search them in the housing scheme checker under SBCA's "Illegal Societies" list. A project that is not on either SBCA list is simply not listed; ask the seller for the NOC letter and check it on sbca.gos.pk.
3. Who owns the land?
Ask whether the plot is on revenue land or in a society, and check it accordingly. For revenue land, search the seller's name or CNIC on the Board of Revenue's portal, as described in our guide to the Sindh land record online, and get a certified copy before paying.
4. Is the plot in a society or a KDA scheme?
Ask which society or scheme the plot is in, and check that society's lease and NOC, not just the name of the wider area.
For more on Karachi, see Karachi property guides, and for what to check anywhere in Pakistan, our check before you pay page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Malir Expressway route?
According to the Sindh PPP Unit, it runs along the Malir River from Qayyumabad Interchange to the Karachi to Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) near Kathore, with six interchanges.
Is the Malir Expressway open?
Yes. It was inaugurated on 22 May 2026, and the Sindh PPP Unit lists the project as operational.
How long is Shahrah-e-Bhutto?
The Sindh PPP Unit gives 38.75 km. The Sindh Chief Minister described it as a 40-kilometre road at the opening.
Is a housing scheme near the Malir Expressway approved?
Being near the expressway says nothing about approval. Check the project against SBCA's NOC lists and its notices of projects without an NOC, and check the land record before you pay.
Sources
- Sindh PPP Unit: Shahrah-e-Bhutto Expressway Project (project page, checked 28 October 2026) pppunitsindh.gov.pk
- Radio Pakistan: Bilawal inaugurates Shahrah-e-Bhutto in Karachi (22 May 2026) radio.gov.pk
- SBCA: Public Sale Projects (Housing Scheme), NOC for sale and advertisement, 2021 to 2026 sbca.gos.pk
- SBCA: Public notices of projects without NOC for sale and advertisement (scanned PDF, filed 31 October 2024) sbca.gos.pk
- Zameen.com: Houses Price Index, Scheme 33 Karachi (August 2026, as cited in our Karachi guide) zameen.com
