PPP chief warns of conspiracy afoot to defame Sindh; frames Thar as a counterhistory
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses a press conference in Karachi, Friday, November 7, 2025. Screenshot
HYDERABAD:
Striking a chord with political elements who have often looked askance at Islamabad’s intentions towards the provinces, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned that some powers seek to deprive Sindh of its rights, authority and resources.
At the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of the Tharparkar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology in Tharparkar district on Wednesday, Bilawal warned that a “special campaign” was being carried out to tarnish the image of the province and its government.
“Some powers want to strip your province of its rights, authority and resources on the pretext that the Sindh government has done nothing, that this small province has done nothing,” the PPP president said.
“[They say] “That is why all authority and resources must be returned to Islamabad,” he added, without specifically referring to any individual, political party or institution. “All this is done for a particular purpose. [and] for a particular conspiracy,” he emphasized.
Bilawal emphasized, however, that the development initiatives undertaken in Tharparkar, as well as other parts of Sindh, effectively negate this false narrative of poor performance by the provincial government.
He asked the people of Tharparkar to witness the state of development in their area. “Look at Tharparkar before 2008 and look at it today in 2026. There are still problems, but the transformation is before your eyes,” he said.
“I would like to tell those who think that for Sindh or its people, the path to development is only possible through Islamabad, that we have proven this idea wrong through initiatives in education, health and public-private sectors. Thar has also proven it wrong.”
He recalled that the tendency to deny provinces autonomy and control over their natural resources had prevented his mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, from launching the Thar coal project in 1993.
He claimed that the same conspiracies had thwarted his efforts to harness Thar coal not only for the development of this desert region but for the entire country. He equaled the amount of coal reserves in Thar with Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves.
“It is unfortunate for this country and its people that the path to development and economic progress, which could have begun in 1993, did not begin until after 2008,” the PPP chairman told the audience.
He added that harnessing Thar coal has not only helped the local economy and residents, but has also benefited the industrial areas of Faisalabad through coal-fired electricity. He also highlighted the social impact of Thar’s coal projects, linking them to improvements in health and education in the region.
The PPP president recalled that the students of Tharparkar had demanded in 2019 the creation of a university in their district. That same year, the Sindh government had established a NED University campus in a government building.
He said that in the first phase, Tharparkar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology has been inaugurated, while the second phase, which will convert the institute into a university, will be completed before the tenure of the current Sindh government ends in 2029.
Bilawal credited the Sindh government for doubling the number of universities in the province over the last 18 years. He also expressed satisfaction at witnessing a greater number of female students progressing to tertiary education at universities.
