Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari sharply criticized a faction he described as “political orphans” for introducing what he termed “Zionist politics” into Sindh, asserting that such attempts would never be allowed to prevail. His remarks came during the inauguration of Thar Coal Phase III in Thar.
Bilawal highlighted the outstanding performance of students from Tharparkar in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), stating that their success should be a source of national pride. However, he lamented that instead of celebrating this achievement, a “party of political orphans” had resorted to spreading “politics of hatred and division.”
This statement was a response to concerns raised by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) regarding the MDCAT results, which revealed that no candidate from Karachi Division ranked among the top 20 in the province. The results, published by Sukkur IBA (SIBA) Testing Services, showed that students from Sindh’s smaller and less-developed districts secured the highest positions.
MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar questioned the integrity of the medical entrance examination, alleging widespread corruption in Sindh and suggesting that the PPP’s influence might have affected the MDCAT outcomes. “How is it possible that MDCAT has remained untouched by the PPP?” Sattar asked.
In a significant development, Bilawal countered by referencing the Israel-Palestine conflict, warning that similar divisive politics were being introduced into Sindh but would ultimately fail. He emphasized that the academic excellence of children from Tharparkar and other underprivileged areas should be celebrated rather than politicized.
Bilawal also challenged the rationale behind demands for creating new provinces based on claims of governance failure. He argued that this logic was flawed, suggesting that if such reasoning were accepted, then Islamabad should be handed over to the people of Thar to govern, implying that the capital should be managed with the same approach as Thar.
He praised the Thar Coal project as a prime example of the success achieved under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, highlighting it as a model of effective governance and development.
These comments come amid ongoing debates about Pakistan’s administrative structure, with coalition partners PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) holding differing opinions on the creation of new provinces or administrative units. The discussion intensified after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the governance system as having “collapsed” and advocated for structural reforms, including the establishment of new administrative units with greater devolution of power.
Naqvi later clarified that his remarks referred to the systemic decline over the past 80 years rather than any specific government’s performance.
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