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KARACHI, Oct 14 (APP): Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has lauded senior party leader Mian Raza Rabbani for his contributions to literature, democracy, and the Constitution, and commended his noble gesture of dedicating his novel “The Smile Snatchers” to the children of Gaza.
He hoped that the Gaza ceasefire will continue. The Chairman of PPP attended the dedication ceremony of Senator Mian Raza Rabbani’s award-winning short novel, honored by the Pakistan Academy of Letters, which highlights the suffering of children in war-torn regions.
The event, held at the Arts Council of Karachi, was attended by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, provincial ministers, members of the national and provincial assemblies, party leaders, and other prominent social figures.
Addressing the ceremony, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari welcomed the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, saying that, like the majority of the world, the people of Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinians.
He said that over the past two years, the world has, for the first time in history, witnessed genocide being live-streamed before its eyes. He added that the Gaza war was not only the largest genocide of children in modern history but also a genocide of doctors, nurses, and journalists.
The PPP Chairman pointed out that Israel has been the most frequent violator of ceasefire agreements globally. Reiterating his welcome of the Gaza ceasefire, he expressed hope that the famine imposed upon the people of Gaza would also be addressed.
Bilawal while highlighting the achievements of his party’s provincial government in Sindh, said that “our competition is not with any city or province — it is with other developed countries.”
He said that during the tenure of former Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the Special Economic Zone established in Khairpur District has been prominently featured in the recent list published by the Financial Times, which ranks it among the world’s best economic zones for foreign investment.
He further added that the Financial Times not only included the Khairpur Economic Zone in this list but also ranked it second in the Asia-Pacific category of similar zones.
Bilawal said that it was Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto who, through her party’s 1993 election manifesto, first introduced the concept of Public-Private Partnership (PPP-mode) in Pakistan, and the very first institutions under this initiative were established in Sindh. Continuing his remarks, he said that the Sindh government’s Public-Private Partnership initiative has also been recognized globally. “A few years ago,” he said, “an international economic magazine ranked Sindh’s Public-Private Partnership program as the sixth-best initiative in the world. Even in that case, our competition was not with any Pakistani city or province, but with the (Indian state) Gujarat.”
“This is your success — this is Pakistan’s success,” the PPP Chairman emphasized. “We believe that the entire nation should stand united to compete with the world, not divided among ourselves. Wherever good work is being done in the country, we should take pride in it.”
Bilawal, while highlighting the remarkable performance of Sindh’s public health sector, said that the Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD) is the only public hospital in the world where citizens receive completely free medical treatment, and where the highest number of heart surgeries are performed annually. Referring to the CyberKnife technology for cancer treatment at Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital, he said that this advanced and highly expensive technology was introduced in Pakistan for the first time by the PPP’s Sindh government. “If there is any place in the world where CyberKnife treatment is provided free of cost, it is right here in Karachi,” he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari further said that during his tenure as Foreign Minister, representatives of other nations often praised Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). “Foreign ministers from countries like Egypt and others told me that they are replicating our BISP model to support their underprivileged populations,” he shared. He said that the BISP remains the country’s only transparent and reliable mechanism for providing immediate financial relief to vulnerable communities in times of crisis.
He pointed out that although PTI’s government tried to change the programme’s name during its tenure, it was, in fact, the same BISP that was used to deliver assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chairman Bilawal said that following the devastating floods of 2022, the Sindh government effectively utilized the BISP to provide financial assistance to flood-affected families.
He said that over two million houses were destroyed during the unprecedented floods in Sindh, and it is a matter of great pride for the provincial government that it is implementing a housing initiative that is the largest of its kind in the world. He said that under the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF), ownership rights of the newly constructed houses will be transferred to women members of the affected families, a historic step in asset transfer by the government.
He also pointed out that this initiative follows in the footsteps of Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had previously made the poor owners of land through his landmark land reforms, the largest asset transfer of its time.
He also appreciated the efforts of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for his strong support to Pakistan during the 2022 floods.