Key Takeaways
- PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari rejects claims that Pakistan’s system has failed.
- He cites Tharparkar’s development as an example of the success of the country’s system.
- Bilawal challenges calls for new provinces and suggests Islamabad should follow Tharparkar’s example.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has rejected claims that Pakistan’s system has collapsed, stating that the development of Tharparkar demonstrates its success.
Addressing a ceremony in Tharparkar to inaugurate Phase III of the Thar Coal Project’s Block II, Bilawal argued that those who claim the system has failed should hand Islamabad over to the people of Tharparkar, who he believes would fix it.
He criticized calls for the creation of new provinces and claims that the country’s system had collapsed, stating, 'I don’t get this logic at all, but if we accept it for a moment, it means that Islamabad has failed. Hand Islamabad over to the people of Tharparkar; they will fix it.'
Bilawal also criticized a political party in Karachi, saying, 'I want to tell them that we will never let them succeed,' without naming the party.
He highlighted the development achieved in Tharparkar, saying, 'The progress we have witnessed in the region is unmatched elsewhere in Pakistan. Not only have its infrastructure, health and education systems improved, but there has been progress in all aspects rather than just changes.'
Bilawal suggested that Islamabad should follow Tharparkar’s example, praising the district’s development through the public-private partnership model.
He noted that Thar is generating 14 per cent of the national grid’s electricity and that the project has created significant employment opportunities for people in Sindh, with 94 per cent of employees belonging to the province and 60 per cent from Thar district.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, addressing the ceremony, said that the production capacity of the Thar coal mine would increase from 7.6 million tonnes to 11.2 million tonnes annually following the completion of Phase III of Thar Block II.
He added that the project was being completed with 100 per cent self-financing and that electricity generated from Sindh’s local coal would be three times cheaper than electricity generated from imported coal.
I don’t get this logic at all, but if we accept it for a moment, it means that Islamabad has failed. Hand Islamabad over to the people of Tharparkar; they will fix it.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, PPP Chairman
I want to tell them that we will never let them succeed.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, PPP Chairman
