- Modi-led Indian government using water as tool for terrorism: Bilawal.
- OPP chief promises free healthcare facilities in Gilgit-Baltistan.
- Bilawal rejects claims that former prime minister Imran rejected foreign bases.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday urged the federal government to complete the Diamer-Bhasha Dam at the earliest, describing the project as a national necessity.
“The [Diamer-Bhasha Dam] is not only the right of Diamer people but also the need of Pakistan,” he said while addressing an election rally in Diamer.
Bilawal criticized India’s violation of the Indus Waters Treaty and said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was using water as a tool for terrorism.
“No other project is more important than the Diamer-Bhasha dam,” he said, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to show “Shehbaz speed” in completing the project at the earliest.
The Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a 4,500 megawatt project with an estimated cost of $15 billion and is expected to be one of the largest dams in the world upon completion.
Considered a positive stimulus for Pakistan’s economy, the project will irrigate 1.2 million acres of agricultural land and extend the life of the Tarbela Dam by 35 years.
Addressing the participants, Bilawal urged voters in Gilgit-Baltistan to elect a PPP Chief Minister in the June 7 elections, saying the party continues to enjoy public confidence.
He claimed that the PPP had secured the highest number of votes in the previous UK election but was deprived of nine seats.
The PPP chairman also highlighted the political legacy of former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, saying they had worked for the rights of underprivileged sections of the society.
Referring to his mother’s assassination, Bilawal said some elements had believed there would be no leadership after her death.
Bilawal praised President Asif Ali Zardari and said he continued to raise his voice for the people after Bhutto’s assassination.
He credited President Zardari for launching the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) and said he had not forgotten the people of GB.
Reiterating that he wanted the region to benefit from the 18th Amendment, Bilawal said a stronger GB would contribute to Pakistan’s overall economic progress.
Highlighting the PPP government’s record in Sindh, he said the province had expanded health services after the 18th amendment.
“We have built a network of hospitals in Sindh and kept medicines, surgeries and transplants free,” Bilawal said, adding that PPP would make similar healthcare facilities available in GB.
The PPP chairman also spoke about foreign military bases earlier, saying that facilities previously used by other countries had been closed under a PPP-led government.
According to Bilawal, the PPP government closed all foreign military bases and “bid farewell to the guests”, listing it among the PPP’s greatest achievements.
In an apparent reference to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, Bilawal criticized claims that the former prime minister had said “absolutely not” to foreign military bases, saying the bases had been closed in advance.
