Bilawal accuses ‘some forces’ of withdrawing provincial powers and shifting resources to Islamabad

Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday accused “some forces” of deliberately promoting a narrative that Sindh and smaller provinces had failed to deliver, and warned that the campaign was aimed at justifying the withdrawal of provincial powers and resources to Islamabad.

Speaking at the inauguration of Thar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology – affiliated to NED University of Engineering and Technology – on Mithi-Islamkot Road in Tharparkar, Bilawal said the development in Tharparkar is the strongest response to what he described as a “deliberate conspiracy” aimed at rolling back constitutional rights, authorities and resources.

“The biggest refutation of this false narrative is Tharparkar itself,” he said, pointing to the contrast between the pre-2008 conditions of the district and the situation after the 18th constitutional amendment.

Bilawal said the Pakistan Peoples Party believed in pro-poor and people-centric governance, adding that his party was willing to compete with other provinces and governments in education, health and development. “No one can defeat the people of Sindh in this competition,” he said.

Emphasizing that development in Tharparkar and in all four provinces was vital to Pakistan’s overall progress, he rejected the idea that provincial development could only come from the federal capital.

Referring to Thar coal, Bilawal said the resource belonged to the people of Tharparkar and described it as an asset comparable in scale to Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves. He said former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s repeated attempts to tap the coal reserves had been thwarted, delaying economic benefits for decades.

He said the use of Thar coal after 2008 had not only brought economic change to the region but had also contributed electricity to the national grid, benefiting industrial centers like Faisalabad. “This is how a strong federation works,” he said.

Bilawal said economic activity in Thar had led to a parallel social transformation, with investment in healthcare resulting in a network of dispensaries, basic health units and hospitals across the district. He cited the role of the Thar Foundation and a public-private partnership with Indus Hospital as examples of improved healthcare services.

On education, he said the inauguration of the NED-affiliated institute fulfilled a long-standing demand of local youth. He noted that classes began in 2019 in a government building and that the Sindh government had now inaugurated a dedicated campus with a commitment to upgrade it to a full-fledged university by the end of its term.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Provincial Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahoo and NED University Vice Chancellor Tufail Ahmed also addressed the ceremony.

Bilawal said the PPP government had doubled the number of universities in Sindh since 2008, adding that the figure was even higher when campuses were included. He said the party would continue to invest in education and health in the public interest.

Bilawal expressed satisfaction over the high number of female students in the institute, saying it reflected Benazir Bhutto’s vision of equal access to education for women. He also welcomed students from Gilgit-Baltistan studying in the campus, calling it a sign of national integration.