LARKANA: In a major push toward energy independence for the province’s most vulnerable, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has officially inaugurated Phase-II of the Sindh Solar Home-Based Project. The initiative aims to provide free solar power kits to 275,000 low-income households across the region.

The provincial launch took place on Wednesday, led by PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro. While the programme was originally slated for a launch by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at CM House, the ceremony was moved to the heart of rural Sindh to directly reach beneficiaries in Qambar-Shahdadkot and Larkana.

Addressing the gathering, Nisar Khuhro — who also chairs the Provincial Accounts Committee — framed the initiative as the “visionary manifesto” of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

According to local target, 10,000 solar kits have been allocated for Qambar-Shahdadkot alone.

Verification for 247 homes currently without any grid access is complete; the first 100 kits were handed over during the ceremony.

The solar project complements the ongoing rehabilitation of 2.1 million flood-affected families. In this district, the Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO) is currently constructing homes for 112,000 displaced people.

Mr Khuhro noted that with global fuel prices soaring due to international conflicts, solar energy is no longer a luxury but a “necessary shield” against inflation and crippling electricity bills for the poor

Multi-million milestone

Simultaneously, a high-profile event was held at the Begum Nusrat Bhutto Multipurpose Hall in Larkana. Local leaders, including MNA Khursheed Ahmed Junejo and MPA Suhail Anwar Siyal, distributed solar systems to a segment of the 10,000 beneficiaries targeted in the district.

Speakers at the Larkana event reflected on the 2022 floods, creditng the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur for the scale of the recovery effort.

“This is not merely an electricity project,” leaders told the crowd, “it is a project of self-sufficiency and empowerment for families who have lived in darkness for years.” Call for local action

In a directive to local governance, Nisar Khuhro urged PPP Union Council and Town Chairpersons to allocate a portion of their monthly development funds to supplement the distribution of solar panels.

The ceremonies concluded with the distribution of kits to eligible families, marking a significant step in the PPP’s pledge to “solarise” the 2.1 million homes being built for flood survivors across Sindh. Similar distribution events were also reported in Shikarpur and Khairpur as part of the coordinated provincial rollout.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026