Shahrah-e-Bhutto inaugurated by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto in Karachi

The Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, inaugurated a major section of the Shahrah-e-Bhutto, along with the Chief Minister of Sindh.

Chairman PPP has formally inaugurated the segment of Shahrah-e-Bhutto extending from Quaidabad to Kathore.

Bilawal Bhutto travelled on the newly completed stretch of the highway while Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah drove his vehicle.

Speaking at the occasion, Bilawal Bhutto described the route as one of the finest highways in Pakistan.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Karachi has witnessed record development projects since 2008, adding that the metropolis has emerged as Pakistan’s fastest-developing city.

Chairman PPP has also laid the foundation stone of a new expressway project linking Qayyumabad to Karachi Port.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has defended Sindh’s political and local government system, claiming that the province enjoys a greater level of democracy than any other part of Pakistan.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman said political criticism was a normal part of democratic culture and insisted that his party was willing to tolerate opposition voices.

“If opponents criticise us, we consider it part of politics,” he said, adding that the PPP remained the only party capable of tolerating criticism from rivals.

While criticizing political culture in other provinces, especially in Punjab, Bilawal Bhutto questioned whether opposition parties in other provinces had the same freedom to criticise governments openly.

“Can the opposition hold press conferences in Lahore in the same way they do in Sindh?” he asked. “Do they receive the same response with respect and tolerance as they do from the PPP?”

The PPP chairman alleged that political opponents were attempting to damage his party’s reputation through organised campaigns.

He also defended Sindh’s local government, saying that criticism often came from regions where no effective local government system existed.

Bilawal Bhutto asserted that the Sindh government provides resources not only to PPP-backed town chairmen but also to elected representatives from opposition parties, including chairmen of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

The PPP leader criticised the absence of functioning local government systems in Punjab and the federal capital, Islamabad, arguing that similar demands for administrative autonomy were not raised there.

“Nobody says ‘Free Lahore’ or ‘Separate Islamabad’,” he remarked.

Referring to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bilawal also criticized the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and alleged that Imran Khan introduced a local government system but later withdrew powers after electoral defeats.

He maintained that political opponents in Sindh continue to enjoy the right to participate freely in politics under the existing local government framework.

Bilawal Bhutto also urged citizens to evaluate the performance of opposition-backed town chairmen and compare it with that of PPP representatives.

He also aimed at the Muttahida Qumi Movement (MQM), questioning what public welfare projects they had delivered.

“Tell us where you built a road or hospital in the name of your leader,” he said.

He said some individuals remained in influential positions regardless of which party formed the government.