Bilawal warns against threats to Sindh’s rights, resources transfer to Islamabad

• PPP chairperson alleges ‘some powers’ unleashed a conspiracy for a particular objective to divert Sindh’s resources to Islamabad
• Compares Tharparkar before 2008 and before 18th Amendment with in 2026, saying development of Tharparkar itself best answer to ‘false narrative’
• Terms coal as a major asset, comparable to Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves, saying electricity from Tharparkar powering industrial centres, driving economic and social change

KARACHI: PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday alleged that “some powers” were attempting to deprive Sindh of its rights and transfer its resources to Islamabad under the pretext that the provincial government had performed poorly.

He made the remarks while inaugurating the first phase of the Tharparkar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology in Tharparkar.

“Efforts are being made, a campaign is being run, to assassinate the character of not just Tharparkar but your entire province as part of a conspiracy for a particular objective,” Bilawal said. “Some forces want to rob your province of its rights and resources and have them transferred back to Islamabad on the pretext that the Sindh government has not done anything.”

He said the development of Tharparkar itself was the best answer to this “false narrative.” “You can see how Tharparkar was before 2008, before the 18th Amendment, and how it is in 2026. Yes, there are problems, but the Tharparkar of 2026 is before you all [to see].”

Bilawal further highlighted that the people of Thar had “always supported the PPP in every election,” describing this loyalty as a reflection of their love for the party and for late prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. He added that the PPP had always sought to reciprocate this support by striving for the province’s development.

“Tharparkar’s progress is essential for Pakistan’s progress, just as the advancement of all four provinces is vital for the nation,” he said.

Turning to the region’s resources, Bilawal stressed that coal was a major asset for Tharparkar, noting, “Tharparkar has as much coal as Saudi Arabia has oil.” However, he said the federal government historically lacked the power to utilise these resources. “Whenever Benazir Bhutto tried to do so, her efforts were sabotaged as part of a conspiracy,” he added.

He recalled that while economic development had been long delayed—since 1993—it had finally accelerated after 2008. “Just one project led to an economic revolution in Tharparkar,” Bilawal said. “The economic benefits of the electricity produced here are seen even in Faisalabad.”

He added that the “very first megawatt of electricity produced in Tharparkar was transferred to the national grid for use by industrial centres. This is how strong federal governments operate.”

Bilawal also emphasised the social impact of economic development. “This area didn’t have basic health units, dispensaries, or hospitals, but now, with government investment, we have laid a health network in Tharparkar. During my visit, I saw the Thar Foundation, which receives a share from coal profits to continue social work and run a hospital,” he said.

On the Tharparkar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology, he recalled that the project was initiated by the Nadirshah Edulji Dinshaw University of Engineering & Technology in 2019. “The chief minister has promised that by the end of the current provincial government’s term, this campus will be operating as a university,” Bilawal said. “We will continue working in Sindh, thinking about the interests of its people and executing projects accordingly.”

He claimed that the number of universities in Sindh had doubled since 2008 and expressed pride in the province’s progress in health and education. “We aim to compete with other provinces because Sindh has excelled in these sectors,” he concluded.