Bilawal says Thar could run Islamabad

HYDERABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday turned the argument over the "failure of the existing system" on its head, saying that if Islamabad had indeed failed, its governance should instead be handed over to Tharparkar, which he said had transformed itself through development.

In an indirect reference to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)-led campaign for the creation of new administrative units, Bilawal equated the party's agenda with Zionism, saying he could not understand the logic behind the argument.

"I feel very sad to see a party of political orphans which practises politics of hatred, division and Zionism, wants to introduce Zionist politics in Sindh," he said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the third phase of the Thar coal project in Tharparkar district. "But I want to tell them that they will fail."

While presenting Tharparkar as a model of development for the country's major cities, Bilawal criticised proponents of new provinces for "forcibly" advancing the contentious argument that the existing system had collapsed while presenting smaller provinces as a remedy.

"I want to tell them that though I can't understand this logic, even if, for the sake of argument, I subscribe to it, their logic will mean that if Islamabad has failed, the capital should be handed over to Tharparkar," he told the gathering.

The PPP chairman said Tharparkar had even outshone major cities of Pakistan in terms of the pace of progress. He cited the brilliant performance of students from Tharparkar in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 and rejected criticism of the test results.

"It should be a matter of pride for the country that children of a formerly underdeveloped district are excelling in the national exams. People of Pakistan should have rather congratulated them," he said. He also mentioned a student from Tharparkar who topped an examination in China.

"We will ensure that children of Islamabad also excel in exams like children in Tharparkar," he said. He went on to demand that Islamabad's governance be handed over so that his party and "the brilliant people of Tharparkar" could transform the capital. "This is the way forward if we follow your logic."

Bilawal inaugurated the third phase of the Thar coal project. Under the expansion, coal mining will be enhanced to 11.2 million metric tons per annum (MTPA) from the existing 7.6 million MTPA, which was attained in 2022 during the second phase. The first phase, with 3.8 million MTPA, was started in 2019.

Bilawal said that development driven by the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model had become an example worth emulating across the country. He maintained that the development envisioned in the 1973 Constitution and the 18th Constitutional Amendment had materialised in Tharparkar.

He recalled that Thar's coal initially produced 660 megawatts (MW) of electricity, but generation had now more than trebled to around 2,000MW, which he said was 14% of the country's total power generation. He credited Thar with saving $1.6 billion in foreign exchange that would otherwise have to be spent annually on coal imports.

He recalled that detractors of the Thar coal project used to criticise the quality of the coal as being unsuitable for power generation, but now "not only is electricity being produced from coal, but fertiliser and gas production" are also on the cards.

The PPP chief invited the business community to invest in projects under the PPP model in Karachi and other parts of the country to bolster development and generate employment, in addition to securing business benefits.

He said the Sindh government and the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) were going to undertake a mega development project in Karachi under the PPP model. He also expressed interest in establishing a new port at Keti Bunder in Thatta district, inviting investors to come forward for the projects.

During his visit to the district, Bilawal also visited the SECMC coal mine, Thar Foundation's hospital and school, and interacted with the local community. He was accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.