'Thar's transformation will change Pakistan'

CM says besides coal, Sindh govt invested in roads, water supply schemes, health and education

MITHI:

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government has transformed Thar because the sand-swept desert with its rich resources has the potential to change Pakistan.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Thar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology — affiliated with NED University Karachi — on the Mithi-Islamkot Road, Shah said Thar's coal reserves are the property of its people and will reshape the country's future.

He announced that once Phase-II of the institute is completed in 2028, it will be upgraded to a full-fledged university.

The chief minister recalled that when the PPP came to power in 2008, then-president Asif Ali Zardari pursued the vision of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to develop Thar's natural resources. He noted that travel time from Karachi to Mithi, once eight hours, has now been reduced to four due to improved road networks, "I am looking for a driver who can cover the same distance in three hours, and I am sure he must be here in the crowd."

The CM said that if someone wanted a faster travel they could take a flight from Karachi to Islamkot in under half an hour.

Shah said the provincial government has invested in water supply schemes, RO plants, and healthcare facilities in Thar, alongside coal-based power generation and fertilizer projects. He added that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had earlier directed that households consuming up to 100 units of electricity in Islamkot be provided free power, as "local communities have the first right over Thar's resources."

Highlighting education, Shah said 125 graduates have already passed out from the institute, many employed or freelancing internationally. He pledged full support for Phase-II, which will include boys' and girls' hostels, an administration block, and new courses in English, management, mechanical and electrical engineering. "By 2028, when Phase-II is complete, we will convert this institute into a university for the people of Thar," he said.

Sindh Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahu said PPP has established 16 universities in Sindh since 2008, compared to 14 in the province's first 62 years. He criticized the federal government for freezing the Higher Education Commission's budget, noting that Sindh alone now provides Rs43 billion annually to universities — more than Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan combined.