PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday rejected claims that the country’s system had collapsed, saying the development of Tharparkar demonstrated its success.
Addressing a ceremony in Tharparkar to inaugurate Phase III of the Thar Coal Project’s Block II., Bilawal said the district’s development was an “archetype of the success” of the country’s system, the 1973 Constitution and the 18th Amendment.
He argued that those who claimed the system had collapsed should hand Islamabad over to the people of Tharparkar.
Criticising calls for the creation of new provinces and claims that the country’s system had collapsed, Bilawal said: “I don’t get this logic at all, but if we accept it for a moment, it means that Islamabad has failed. Hand Islamabad over to the people of Tharparkar; they will fix it.”
Without naming anyone, he said a political party comprising “political orphans” was “busy doing politics of hate, division and Zionism in Karachi”.
“I want to tell them that we will never let them succeed,” he said.
He said the development achieved in Tharparkar demonstrated the effectiveness of the country’s system and the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
“The students of Islamabad can also top all the exams. We have seen the condition of its hospitals; we can make them free and upgrade them to international standards,” he said, taking a dig at the federal government.
Bilawal said the progress he had witnessed in the region was unmatched elsewhere in Pakistan. “Not only have its infrastructure, health and education systems improved, but there has been progress in all aspects rather than just changes.”
He said Thar’s development had surprised people across the country. “People are unable to digest its development.”
Bilawal suggested that Islamabad should follow Tharparkar’s example and also hailed the development achieved in the district through the public-private partnership model.
“Today, Thar is generating 14 per cent of the national grid’s electricity and also the cheapest.”
He criticised experts in Islamabad who had previously claimed that Thar’s coal was useless and that investing in it would be futile. “Today we are saving up to $1.6 billion of Pakistan’s foreign reserves due to the Thar Coal Project.”
The PPP chairman further said the project had also created significant employment opportunities for people in Sindh, noting that “94 per cent of employees of this project belong to Sindh, and 60pc of them hail from Thar district”.
‘Phase III to increase Thar coal mine’s production capacity’
Addressing the ceremony, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the production capacity of the Thar coal mine would increase from 7.6 million tonnes to 11.2m tonnes annually following the completion of Phase III of Thar Block II.
“Phase III of Thar Block II will increase the mine’s production capacity by 3.6 million tonnes annually,” he said, adding that the project was being completed with 100pc self-financing.
“Electricity generated from Sindh’s local coal will be three times cheaper than electricity generated from imported coal.”
He added that Phase III would enable Lucky Electric’s 660-megawatt power plant to operate on Thar coal.
“After Phase III, total electricity generation from Thar will reach 1,980 megawatts.”
The chief minister also said 4.5m households would benefit from electricity generated from Thar every day following the completion of Phase III.
“Phase III will result in annual savings of approximately Rs15 billion in electricity generation costs,” he said, adding that the project would save Pakistan approximately $220m annually in additional foreign exchange.
He said Phase III would also pave the way for the launch of Thar Rail.
“The launch of Thar Rail will make Thar coal accessible across the country.”
Shah said the Thar Coal Project was an important example of public-private partnership in Pakistan’s mining sector.
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