KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Sindh’s competition is not with any one city or province, but with the developed countries of the world.
Speaking at a ceremony in Karachi, Bilawal Bhutto said, “I congratulate Raza Rabbani on the launch of his book. This book has also received the Patras Bukhari Best Book Award. He said that those who write books live forever in history, recalling that his late mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had also written two or three books.
He urged senior party leaders to write as well, adding that the PPP also played a significant role in shaping Pakistan’s Constitution.
He said he was delighted to see veteran PPP leader Syed Qaim Ali Shah, noting that during Shah’s tenure, a Special Economic Zone was established in Khairpur.
He said that the Financial Times has ranked the Khairpur Economic Zone among the best.
Bilawal further said that the PPP was the first to introduce the concept of public-private partnership, adding, “Sindh is not in competition with any other city or province — Sindh’s competition is with the developed nations of the world, and that is Pakistan’s success.”
“I believe the entire country should unite and compete with the world.”
He said that like every Muslim, “we stand with the oppressed people of Gaza, where we are witnessing a historic genocide.”
Bilawal said that this genocide is not only of Palestinian children but also of journalists, doctors, and nurses. “A ceasefire agreement has been signed, but it is Israel that continues to violate it. We hope this ceasefire will not be broken again and that the children and people of Gaza and Palestine will be protected,” he added.
Recently, leaders of the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had exchanged barbs criticising each other. However, the tensions subsided following meetings between the top leadership of both parties.
Earlier, Bilawal and several party leaders had urged that the federal government should assist flood victims through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), and also urged the government to appeal for international aid for the flood-hit areas.
In response, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari rejected the proposal and refused to use the BIPS for flood relief efforts.
Addressing an event in Faisalabad earlier, Maryam Nawa said she did not need anyone’s permission to serve the public, adding that “the BISP is not the solution to everything, and the culture of begging must end now.”
She further said, “If Punjab fights for its rights, why should others have a problem? If Punjab wants to draw water from its share of canals, what troubles others about it?”