KARACHI:
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday highlighted Karachi’s pivotal role in the overall development of Pakistan, accusing the federal government of giving “stepchild treatment” to Sindh and withholding its resources under various pretexts.
Speaking at the inauguration of Phase I of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Expressway, formerly Qayyumabad to Shah Faisal Malir Expressway, he said his family has been contributing to the development of Karachi for three generations.
He praised his grandfather and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, stating that the former prime minister revolutionized Karachi’s infrastructure and laid the foundation for major projects including the Pakistan Steel Mill (PSM) and Shahrah-e-Faisal.
Bilawal also praised his mother, the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, for paying special attention to the metropolis and working tirelessly to establish peace and provide employment opportunities to its residents.
He also claimed that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto fought against two military regimes.
The PPP chairman stressed that the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Expressway project will not only connect Karachi but the entire Sindh with the rest of the country and provide employment opportunities to the residents of the metropolis.
“My favorite project ‘Shahrah-e-Bhutto’ is being built under public-private partnership. Many projects have been successfully completed under public-private partnerships,” he said.
“We have always strived to provide services to the public for free or at the lowest possible rates. Thanks to the Sindh government, the toll tax has been fixed at Rs 100 and is expected to remain the same.”
Bilawal emphasized that Pakistan’s development was closely linked to Karachi’s progress.
He claimed that his father and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari allocated the largest funds for the development of Karachi.
He accused the Center of treating Sindh unfairly and described the distribution of resources as unfair.
“The federal government is treating Sindh like a stepchild. The federal government is making excuses and withholding resources from the province,” he said.
“When rights are not properly granted, it becomes extremely difficult to provide essential facilities.”
The PPP chairman stated that the public-private partnership was created to address the scarcity of resources and noted that it has worked successfully.
“I urge [Sindh] Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah will engage and satisfy the business community of Karachi. The business sector will not run on goodwill alone. If they (the business community) and the city residents benefit, only then will we achieve success.”
He highlighted the need to promote public-private partnerships to address the problems of the province, particularly those of Karachi.
He noted that Karachi had been facing a long-standing water problem and urged his government to give it top priority to resolve this problem.
Earlier, Bilawal personally drove on the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Expressway, paid the toll tax of Rs 100 and carried out a thorough inspection of the project.
