PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has questioned the need for creating new provinces, saying Pakistan should instead focus on improving governance and replicating Thar’s development in other parts of the country. Speaking at the inauguration of Phase III of the Thar Coal Block II expansion project in Tharparkar, Bilawal said the progress achieved in Thar was being noticed across Pakistan. He argued that the region’s development should serve as a model for other parts of the country. Bilawal said the focus should be on delivering development and better governance rather than creating new administrative units. His comments came weeks after he called for the issue of new provinces to be debated in Parliament, saying the views of elected representatives and the public should be considered. Referring to Islamabad, Bilawal said that if the federal capital had failed to deliver, it should be placed in the hands of people from Tharparkar so that the development achieved in Thar could be replicated there. MT Honour 25: Four injured Pakistani sailors, remains of three arrive in Karachi He said Pakistan should learn from Thar’s experience and work to bring similar development to other regions. Bilawal also criticised what he described as politics based on hatred and division in Karachi and Sindh. He said such politics would not succeed and expressed his intention to work towards reducing political divisions in the province. The PPP chairman highlighted the academic achievements of students from Thar, saying young people from the region had increasingly secured top positions in the MDCAT examination. He said their achievements should be recognised rather than being overshadowed by political disputes. He said development in Thar would continue and rejected what he described as attempts to promote divisive politics in Sindh. The remarks came as Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurated Phase III of the Thar Block II coal mine. The expansion is expected to increase the mine’s annual production capacity from 7.6 million tonnes to 11.2 million tonnes. The Sindh government says the project is being completed through 100% self-financing. The debate over new provinces has gained renewed attention in Pakistan in recent weeks. Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said in September that Parliament would provide a forum for debate on the creation of new provinces. Post navigation Governor’s Rule: Bilawal urges political solution before emergency measures
