PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday inaugurated the 39-kilometre-long Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway, linking Karachi’s Qayyumabad to the M-9 Motorway.

He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of an expressway project linking Karachi Port to Qayyumabad.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the expressway has six interchanges, six lanes and a 5-kilometre elevated section.

He said the PPP chairman had inaugurated the first 9-kilometre segment of the project in January 2025. The second 4-kilometre segment was inaugurated in June last year, and the remaining portion is now being inaugurated in May 2026.

CM Murad emphasised that the project took 4 to 4.5 years to complete, and that it could have been finished earlier had the government not prioritised avoiding the displacement of any population along the route.

“If you need to travel outside Karachi, whether to Sindh, Punjab or Balochistan, this project will reduce travel time by around an hour.”

He added that projects worth Rs1,700 billion were underway in Karachi, adding that he had approved over Rs70 billion worth of projects in the past three months alone.

‘Healthcare capital of the country’

Addressing the ceremony, PPP Chairman said, “If one compares the projects completed between 1947 and 2008, one will realise that the PPP is the only government that has undertaken meaningful development projects.”

“Due to the PPP, people from across the country want to visit, work and live in Karachi. We invite them to come here and contribute to this province and its economy,” he said.

He maintained that Karachi is not just the commercial capital of Pakistan, but also the healthcare capital of the country.

He said the Sindh government assumed administrative control of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi after the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

“I invite our political rivals to assess the hospital’s situation before and after the 18th Amendment. It has become one of the largest free healthcare institutions in the world,” Bilawal said.

Bilawal said that the Shahrah-i-Bhutto project was completed under a public-private partnership model.

During his speech, Bilawal said that the Pakistani nation was currently facing financial difficulties. “In particular, the Israel–US war with Iran is causing a global financial burden. Poor and hardworking people around the world are bearing that burden.”

“I believe that whoever is working for peace at this time is doing God’s work,” he said.

He thanked Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their efforts to prevent war.

“We thank them because the PPP has always been against war, especially in view of the country’s financial difficulties,” he said.

He added that his party was also working to ease the financial burden. “We will create opportunities that provide financial relief.”

“We need to launch initiatives that create economic opportunities,” he emphasised.

He also said the Sindh government was leading the country in public-private partnerships.

“We have received global recognition for these partnerships. We have proven that the PPP can deliver on its promises. Through these partnerships, we will create opportunities for the entire nation.”

More to follow