PPP chairman says Thar’s progress demonstrates effectiveness of constitutional framework and 18th Amendment as Phase III of Thar Coal Block II is inaugurated
THARPARKAR: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday rejected the argument that Pakistan’s governance system had failed, citing Tharparkar’s transformation as evidence that the existing constitutional and political framework could deliver development.
Speaking at the inauguration of Phase III of the Thar Coal Project’s Block II, Bilawal described Tharparkar as a model demonstrating the success of the country’s system, the 1973 Constitution and the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Responding to those advocating new provinces or arguing that the existing system had collapsed, Bilawal questioned their reasoning. He said that if such an argument were accepted, it would imply that Islamabad itself had failed, adding that the capital could be handed over to the people of Tharparkar to improve it.
Bilawal Credits 18th Amendment for Thar’s Progress
The PPP chairman argued that Tharparkar’s development illustrated the potential of provincial empowerment under the constitutional system.
He said improvements were visible across infrastructure, education and healthcare, maintaining that the district had experienced substantive development rather than superficial change.
Bilawal also criticised an unnamed political party, accusing it of promoting politics based on hatred and division in Karachi, and vowed that the PPP would resist such politics.
Taking aim at governance in the federal capital, he said Islamabad’s education and healthcare systems could also be improved and brought up to international standards.
According to Bilawal, Tharparkar should serve as an example for Islamabad and other parts of the country.
Public-Private Partnership Model Praised
Bilawal credited the public-private partnership model with playing an important role in Thar’s transformation.
He said Thar was now supplying around 14 per cent of electricity to the national grid and claimed it was producing some of the country’s cheapest electricity.
The PPP chairman also recalled earlier scepticism among experts over the commercial viability of Thar coal. He said the project was now helping Pakistan save as much as $1.6 billion in foreign exchange.
Bilawal further highlighted the employment generated by the project, saying 94pc of its workforce belonged to Sindh, while 60pc of employees were residents of Thar district.
Phase III to Expand Coal Production
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, also addressing the ceremony, said completion of Phase III of Thar Block II would substantially increase the mine’s annual production capacity.
According to Shah, production would rise from 7.6 million tonnes to 11.2m tonnes annually, representing an additional 3.6m tonnes per year.
He said Phase III was being completed entirely through self-financing.
The inauguration therefore provided the PPP leadership with an opportunity not only to highlight the expansion of the Thar Coal Project but also to present Tharparkar as evidence for its broader argument in favour of provincial autonomy, the 18th Amendment and the existing constitutional framework.
