THARPARKAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday hailed the transformation of Thar, saying the region’s progress in health, education and energy proves that the development model can be replicated across Pakistan.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Phase III of the Thar Coal Block II project in Islamkot tehsil of Tharparkar, Bilawal said no other part of the country had witnessed a transformation comparable to Thar’s, while sharply criticising what he described as politics of hatred, division and “Zionism” in Sindh.
Bilawal said the development achieved in Thar was a major success for the Constitution and the 18th Amendment, adding that significant improvements had been made in the region’s health and education sectors. He said the entire country was amazed by the progress made in Thar and argued that Islamabad should also follow the development model demonstrated by the desert region.
According to Bilawal, children from Thar are now topping examinations, and this has become a tradition. He said their academic achievements were a source of pride and should be celebrated instead of being overshadowed by political rhetoric and hatred.
“Thar and its children will continue to progress,” Bilawal said, adding that the region’s success demonstrated what could be achieved through sustained development efforts.
Speaking about the Thar coal project, Bilawal said experts in Islamabad had previously claimed that the region’s coal was useless. He said the situation had now changed significantly, with Thar’s coal being used to generate some of the country’s lowest-cost electricity and saving Pakistan USD 1.6 billion.
Bilawal said the success of Thar’s coal development was another example of how local resources could contribute to Pakistan’s economic development and energy security. He stressed that the development and success achieved in Thar should not remain limited to the region but should be implemented across the country.
Referring to calls for the creation of new provinces, Bilawal said a narrative was being pushed that the existing system had failed and that new provinces were therefore needed. “I do not understand the logic that if the system has failed, new provinces should be created,” he said.
The PPP chairman also launched a sharp attack on what he called the politics of a party of “political orphans,” accusing it of promoting hatred and division in Karachi.
Bilawal alleged that the political party was attempting to introduce the politics of “Zionism” in Sindh, saying such efforts would never succeed. He said the people of Sindh would not allow Zionist-style politics to take root in the province and vowed that the PPP would “bury” the politics of hatred and division.
Bilawal questioned why opponents were engaging in political attacks instead of congratulating the children of Thar for their achievements.
Bilawal said the PPP would also seek to bring development to Karachi through public-private partnerships, arguing that the same approach could deliver tangible improvements in other parts of the country.
“I want to bring about change in Karachi as well through a public-private partnership,” he said. He added that the Thar model of development and success should be replicated throughout Pakistan, rather than limiting its benefits to one region.
Bilawal also criticised arguments that new provinces should be created because the existing system had failed. “Claims are being made that the system has collapsed. If the system has failed, then create provinces,” he said, questioning the logic behind such a proposal.
He said he failed to understand why the creation of new provinces was being presented as the solution simply because the system had allegedly collapsed. “If Islamabad has failed, hand it over to the people of Thar; they will set things right,” Bilawal said.
He challenged those questioning the existing system to entrust Islamabad to the people of Thar, saying the region’s youth could demonstrate what was possible through effective governance and development.
Bilawal said that if responsibility for Islamabad were entrusted to his party, it would ensure that children from the capital could also top examinations. He further pledged to make hospitals in Islamabad completely free and bring them up to international standards.
“Entrust us with the responsibility of Islamabad, and we will show what the youth of Thar are capable of,” Bilawal said.
He argued that the achievements of Thar’s children and the region’s broader transformation offered a practical example of how investment in people, education, healthcare and infrastructure could produce lasting change.
The PPP chairman reiterated that Thar’s development was evidence that the model could be expanded to Karachi, Islamabad and other parts of Pakistan through public-private partnerships and effective governance.
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