If we keep fighting PTI, Maulana, when will we progress? Bilawal
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has urged the federal government to set aside political differences and focus on addressing the country’s economic challenges, saying continued confrontation with political opponents would hinder progress.
“Pakistan is facing economic difficulties. If we keep fighting PTI and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, when will we progress?” Bilawal said on Friday.
Addressing a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a 600-bed hospital in Larkana, the PPP chairman said the country was grappling with economic challenges amid a global financial crisis.
He called for dialogue with all political and provincial stakeholders instead of engaging in confrontations.
“We are fighting with PTI, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Afghanistan and India. If we keep fighting everyone, how will we address the economic challenges facing the country?” he asked.
Bilawal, who previously served as foreign minister, advised the federal government to put aside political differences and concentrate on the economy.
He stressed the need for continued engagement between the federal government and provincial and political stakeholders, saying the focus should be on resolving the economic difficulties faced by the public.
“Criticising is easy, but working is difficult,” he said, adding that his party was making every possible effort to resolve the country’s problems.
Bilawal praises meeting with PM
The PPP chairman said his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been positive, adding that both sides had agreed to formulate a joint strategy.
He said the PPP wanted to work with the federal government to address the country’s challenges.
Bilawal said he had invited the prime minister to hold federal cabinet meetings in different provinces. A meeting would also be held in Karachi to improve coordination between the federal government and Sindh, he added.
He thanked the prime minister for improvements in the progress of federal projects in Sindh, saying efforts were underway to strengthen coordination between the two governments.
Bilawal highlights lack of federal projects in Sindh
Speaking about federal development projects in Sindh, Bilawal said several projects had been initiated in the province between 2008 and 2013, when the PPP was in power and the federal and provincial governments worked together.
However, he said federal development projects in Sindh had remained negligible for a considerable period.
Bilawal said the province’s limited representation in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) reflected the situation.
“Look at the PSDP. There are hardly any projects for Sindh,” he said.
He also criticised what he described as excessive focus on seminars, inviting others to organise one and saying he would attend.
The Sindh chief minister would explain which projects had received federal assistance, Bilawal added.
Sindh allocates Rs45bn for universities
Speaking about higher education, the PPP chairman said his government was working to make educational institutions financially self-sufficient.
He acknowledged that educational institutions continued to face difficulties despite government assistance and said the provincial government would continue working with them.
Bilawal claimed that no province, including Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was allocating as much funding to higher education as Sindh.
According to him, the federal government spends Rs60 billion on higher education across the country, while the Sindh government provides Rs45 billion in grants to universities.