KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked the business community to approach him directly for addressal of their grievances rather than “complaining elsewhere”.
“I request you to own PPP, we are not that bad…show us the same kind of affection you did to PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] and MQM [Muttahida Qaumi Movement],” the PPP chief said while addressing the luncheon hosted by the Sindh government for the business community.
“If you have any complaint against the chief minister, talk to me directly, don’t complain elsewhere,” he said, emphasising the need to increase communication with the business community.
The PPP chairman noted that the days of extortion and forced closures of industries in Karachi are over. “Businesses now operate without fear, and labourers are no longer coerced into political rallies,” he added.
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Bilawal also castigated the federal government for not taking Sindh into confidence when taking key policy decisions. “Decisions are made in Islamabad without consulting us, leaving provinces to bear the consequences,” he regretted. He added that a consistent demand from the PPP has been for the provision of cheaper electricity. “The prime minister and bureaucrats in Islamabad brazenly say that load-shedding has been ended…cities in Sindh are facing load-shedding of around 12 to 14 hours,” he claimed.
“We have lost faith in the Centre when it comes to electricity [related issues],” he said, noting that 2 PPP has made its own arrangements in this regard. “We will be able to generate our own electricity and distribute it,” he assured. He also proposed that the Sindh government, in consultation with the business community, should talk to the Centre regarding the issues, saying that if the government does not listen to traders, then a “legal way” option is available.
“I do not want to play any short-term game… I have to play a longer innings,” he concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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