Bilawal warns Centre over Sindh’s rights

KARACHI:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly criticized the federal government for making unilateral decisions and warned that Sindh would approach the courts if denied its rights and fair share of resources.

Addressing a gathering of the business community, Bilawal hailed the public-private partnership (PPP) model as a benchmark for driving economic growth and fostering prosperity nationwide and urged the business community to collaborate with the Sindh government in forging sustainable partnerships.

Bilawal said that unilateral determination of electricity tariffs in Islamabad, without consulting the business community or the provincial government, was a significant issue. Like gas, he added, Sindh had long been denied its rightful share of water.

“It is you, and I who bear the consequences of such policies,” he said. “They shamelessly claim that load-shedding has been eliminated, yet many areas in the country still suffer up to 18 hours of power outages. We have lost confidence that we will ever get reliable electricity from the federal government.”

Terming water shortage a critical issue, Bilawal warned that it was not only Pakistan but the entire world faced the threat of drought and famine due to global warming. He also criticised the federal government’s decision to construct six new canals on the Indus river.

“This [canals] move will worsen the water situation in tail-end areas, including Karachi,” Bilawal told the gathering. “To this day, not only has the additional water not been provided, but even the complete allocated share has not been delivered,” he said, referring to the provisions of the Water Accord, 1991.

He said that when he opposed the new canals from Indus, he was fighting for Karachi’s rights and standing up for the rights of its business community. “The traders of Karachi, the people of Sindh, and the entire nation should demand the implementation of the 1991 Water Accord,” he stressed.

While discussing the public-private partnership mode introduced by the provincial government, Bilawal said that Sindh was the only province where numerous projects under this model were not only operating successfully and generating revenues, but had gained international recognition.

“I want us to accelerate and further advance this public-private partnership,” he said. Referring to projects like the Jhirk-Mulla Katiar Bridge, healthcare initiatives, and the Thar Coal, he said that these were the prime examples of good governance.

Highlighting the potential for transformative impact of the public-private partnership mode, he called on the stakeholders to propose “win-win projects” aimed at advancing green energy, upgradation of infrastructure, and enhancement of essential utility services.

“I want to explore more win-win opportunities of this nature, where the business community and the Sindh government work together to serve this province,” he added. “Working together can lead to better outcomes,” the PPP chief emphasised.

He said that in the event of the federal government privatising the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs), the Sindh government should take them over under public-private partnership, adding that work had already begun on three projects and more projects would be initiated in the next fiscal year.

Highlighting the energy sector, Bilawal said that no other province had as much potential as Sindh. He said that solar and wind power parks could be established in every division of the province. He stressed the need for increased private investment in Sindh’s solar and wind energy sectors.

Bilawal appreciated the role of the business community in the development of Karachi and the country. He acknowledged the challenges faced by the business community, but noted significant improvement in the city’ situation compared with pre-2008 conditions.

Speaking about investment opportunities in the province, Bilawal pointed out that Sindh had as much coal as Saudi Arabia had oil. He underscored the importance of modern agriculture and invited the business community to partner with the Sindh government to promote smart agriculture.

“We want to introduce this initiative through collaboration between small farmers and the business community, so we can increase crop yields, using modern techniques,” he said, adding that with the support of global partners, Sindh’s initial focus would be on benefiting its farmers.

Emphasising that the government would fully support the partnerships between the small farmers and the private investors, Bilawal said, “We can enhance the agricultural sector and strengthen our economy by developing robust infrastructure.”

Bilawal said that being the most populous city of the country, Karachi held immense potential. He emphasised that all the utility service-related issues faced by Karachi could be resolved through the public-private partnerships.

The PPP chairman also said that he was in favour of a welfare state, and for that, “we need to generate taxes” and increase revenues. He criticised the current tax system, saying: “The way the tax system is functioning, we can never succeed. Taxes have essentially become a form of extortion.”

He emphasised the need for introducing business-friendly tax reforms that did not hinder economic activity. He also noted that while agriculture was already taxed—albeit at a low rate—the highest taxpayer in agricultural taxes in Sindh was none other than President Asif Zardari.

Bilawal stressed the need for focusing on increasing revenue and tax collection. Giving an example, he said, “When the responsibility for collecting sales tax on services was given to Sindh, we engaged with the people and achieved record tax collection.”

“We want to be your partners. Don’t see us as opponents but as allies. I’m not here to play a short game; I’m here for the long innings. I plan to stay here, in this city, and work for its betterment. Together, let’s take our province’s future into our hands, and I will not disappoint you.”

He highlighted the PPP-led Sindh government for the elimination of extortion and threats from Karachi that allowed the businesses to operate peacefully. However, he acknowledged that challenges still existed but reiterated his commitment to resolving them.

He asked Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to set up a special cell, comprising officials from the Anti-Corruption Department and the police to address grievances of Karachi’s business community. He urged businesspersons to report complaints and name officials involved, instead of making general allegations.

Addressing the traders, he stated: “I have never demanded extortion from you nor asked for donations. Tell me today if you have any complaints against me. Have I ever caused you any trouble? So why would I want anyone else to trouble you in my name or in the name of my government?”

He mentioned that providing employment opportunities to his voters was part of his manifesto. For the public to have access to job opportunities, he said, it was essential for the country’s economy to thrive and for the trader community’s businesses to flourish.

Idrees Gigi, Atif Ikram, Fawad Anwer, Sultan Alana, Arif Habib, Javed Bilwani, Zubair Motiwala, and Akeel Karim Dhedhi also addressed the gathering. The event was also attended by Tariq Ikram, Dewan Yousuf, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah; provincial ministers Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Sharjeel Inam Memon, besides Nisar Khuhro, Senator Saleem Mandviwala, Dr Ikhtiar Baig, Murtaza Wahab and others.