PPP chief urges responsible politics, reconciliation amid affordability crisis
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addresses a meeting at Gadhi Khuda Bakhsh on Saturday on the 18th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Photo:
LARKANA:
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday highlighted widespread public dissatisfaction with the country’s economic conditions, saying that while the government claimed progress, ordinary citizens were struggling to meet daily expenses, including education and healthcare.
Speaking after inaugurating the Intensive Care Unit for children and newborns at Larkana Children’s Hospital under the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology, he emphasized the need for political parties to adopt responsible policies and prioritize reconciliation.
Bilawal criticized the government for demanding development while ordinary citizens continued to face hardships. He acknowledged the country’s economic crisis and noted that wage earners were struggling to make ends meet.
“The government is making claims of development, but the common man cannot afford the expenses of education and healthcare,” he said. “The PPP aims to ease the economic burden of citizens through policies aligned with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s manifesto.”
On privatization, Bilawal said the PPP favored a public-private partnership model. “We have our own perspective, which is public-private partnership,” the PPP president told reporters.
“Sindh Agro Coal Mining Company and Child Life Foundation are projects of the Sindh government under this model,” he said. He noted that The Economist magazine ranked Sindh’s public-private partnership model sixth globally.
The PPP chairman also criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for attacking state institutions after the arrest of its leader. “If the PTI attacked the institutions and nothing happened, imagine what would have happened if the PPP had done something like that,” he said.
He urged the PTI to abandon extremist politics and operate within democratic boundaries, citing a saying: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” He warned that actions against national institutions in response to legal cases would face legal consequences.
Bilawal reiterated that reconciliation remained his party’s guiding philosophy and credited President Asif Ali Zardari for promoting dialogue and tolerance in politics. He noted the tense situation on Pakistan’s borders with India and Afghanistan, along with growing terrorism, and emphasized that extremist political behavior would provoke a strict state response.
Addressing calls for elections, Bilawal emphasized that elections would be held on time and political parties, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, should collaborate on reforms to ensure transparency and strengthen public confidence in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He warned against holding elections under conditions that could foster political instability.
Highlighting Sindh’s achievements in healthcare, Bilawal said the province now offers unparalleled medical services, including high-sensitivity ICU in Larkana, and 100% free treatment for children in accordance with international standards. He added that the infant mortality rate in Sindh has decreased significantly since the 18th Amendment and health centers have been established in Karachi, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Larkana and Jamshoro.
He thanked Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif for sending a delegation to Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto on the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh PPP Chairman Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, MPA Nida Khuhro, MNA Khursheed Ahmed Junejo and other party leaders were present on the occasion.
