Bilawal: If the System Has Failed, Hand Islamabad to Tharparkar

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Monday that if the argument that the system had failed was accepted, the answer was to hand Islamabad to Tharparkar. “We will fix it,” he declared, pointing to the region’s transformation as proof the system works.

“An argument is being forcibly pushed in the country that the system has collapsed, so provinces should be created. I do not understand the logic, but if I accept this logic for even one minute, it means that if Islamabad has failed, then hand Islamabad over to the people of Tharparkar. We will fix it,” Bilawal said.

He was addressing the Thar Coal Phase-III inauguration ceremony in Tharparkar. He said the region’s transformation represented the success of Pakistan’s system, the 1973 Constitution and the 18th Amendment, not its failure.

“We will have the children there topping every exam. We have just seen the condition of their hospitals; we will make their hospitals 100 per cent free and bring them up to international standards,” he said.

Tharparkar held up as a development model

He cited the region’s coal project as proof. Thar was producing 2,000 megawatts of electricity through public-private partnerships, he said, accounting for 14 per cent of the national grid at the lowest cost of generation.

“We were told that there was no need to extract our coal, that Thar coal was useless and that investing in it and extracting it did not make sense. Today, we are saving $1.6 billion in foreign exchange because of Thar coal,” he said.

He added that 94 per cent of employment in the Thar coal projects was going to people from Sindh, while 60 per cent was going to young people from Tharparkar. He urged faster work on producing fertiliser and gas from Thar coal, saying the country was facing a major crisis and he wanted the products in the market soon.

Why Bilawal says hand Islamabad to Tharparkar

The PPP chairman also turned to politics in Karachi, accusing what he called an “orphaned” political party of practising the “politics of hatred” and the “politics of division”. He said it was trying to introduce “Zionist politics” in Sindh.

“You may have heard of Zionism, Israel’s [policy] in Palestine, but they want to introduce this Zionist politics in Sindh. I want to tell them that they will never succeed,” he said.

He said Thar’s children had repeatedly topped examinations, including the MDCAT, and accused rivals of practising hate instead of applauding them. “God willing, we will bury their politics of hatred and Thar will continue to develop. The children of Thar will continue to progress,” he said.

Bilawal invited Sindh’s and Pakistan’s business communities to work with the provincial government through public-private partnerships. He said the Sindh government was planning projects in Karachi and other coastal areas, including a corniche in partnership with the Defence Housing Authority, a business hub through a proposed Sindh investment zone, and a port at Keti Bandar in Thatta.

“If we can bring such a major transformation to Tharparkar, I want us to bring further development to Karachi through public-private partnerships,” he said, adding the projects would create opportunities for businesses and jobs for young people.

FAQs

What did Bilawal say about Islamabad and Tharparkar?

Bilawal said that if the claim that the system had failed was accepted, Islamabad should be handed to the people of Tharparkar, who would fix it as they had transformed their own region. He was rejecting calls for new provinces.

Where did Bilawal make these remarks?

He was speaking at the Thar Coal Phase-III inauguration ceremony in Tharparkar on Monday, October 5.

What figures did Bilawal cite for Thar coal?

He said Thar produces 2,000 megawatts of electricity through public-private partnerships, about 14 per cent of the national grid at the lowest cost, and is saving Pakistan $1.6 billion in foreign exchange.

What new projects did he announce?

Bilawal said the Sindh government was planning a Karachi corniche with the Defence Housing Authority, a business hub through a proposed Sindh investment zone, and a port at Keti Bandar in Thatta.