KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday inaugurated the 1.7km long Sir Aga Khan Bridge.
While talking to media just after inaugurating the bridge, the PPP chief said that the National Action Plan must be implemented in letter and spirit. It was necessary for restoring peace in the country, he added.
Bhutto said that extremism was a big challenge for our nation and “we all have to fight against it,” he said. While replying to a question about Irafanullah Marwari, the chairman said, “It was just a meeting between Asif Zardari and Marat and no decision was taken.” There was a misunderstanding that Marwat had joined the party, no decision was taken about him, he added.
He said that PPP was the first government, which had taken up the issue of providing clean drinking water to people of Sindh. The Sindh government was taking necessary measures for the purpose, the chairman added.
In the start of his speech, Bhutto congratulated Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah for launching the longest bridge on River Indus. “I am quite happy that the Sindh government has launched another bridge on the River Indus,” he said.
It may be noted that the Sindh government had recently launched Thatta- Sujawal Bridge on River Indus and today Sir Aga Khan Bridge to connect Thatta and Tando Mohammad Khan has been opened, he added.
Shah said that the bridges on River Indus are always constructed by federal government, but the Sindh government keeping in view the problems, issues and requirements for development has constructed another bridge on River Indus.
Sir Aga Khan Bridge has been constructed under public private partnership (PPP) mode at a cost of Rs 4.5 billion, he said.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he was striving to provide quality education and health services to the people of Sindh all over the province. The network of roads in Lar areas would bring prosperity in the entire belt and also boost their Agri-economy because of their access to main markets, he added.
He also talked about energy sector, particularly coal-fired power projects launched in Thar. “The development of road network would help to transport machinery from the Karachi port,” he said. He thanked Bilawal Bhutto for taking out time to inaugurate the bridge