Hyderabad – April 19, 2025:
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari delivered a strongly worded speech in Hyderabad on Friday, warning that the federation itself is at risk due to the controversial canals project.
While addressing a charged public gathering, the former foreign minister celebrated his party’s recent victory in the Umerkot by-election, interpreting it as a public referendum against the construction of the canals. “The masses have denounced the canal projects by ensuring the PPP’s victory,” he declared.
Bilawal reminded the audience of his party’s central role in toppling the previous government through a historic no-confidence motion. “We brought a no-confidence motion in the country’s history and sent the person packing who constructed two canals,” he said, referencing former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan.
According to Bhutto-Zardari, Imran Khan had approved the construction of two out of six controversial canals, a move that was met with fierce opposition from the PPP at the time. “The PPP and its workers had risen to the occasion when the PTI founder had given approval for the construction of the canals. We had staged a protest against them,” he recalled.
Commenting on the recent Umerkot by-elections, Bilawal alleged collusion between PTI and PML-N to sabotage PPP’s chances. “Efforts were made to ensure the PPP’s defeat, but the people of Umerkot have ensured their historical defeat,” he said. “They can’t even hide their faces now.”
He also praised the people of Sindh for their loyalty, stating, “The people of Sindh are standing with those who raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’. It is the PPP that has always made all-out efforts to ensure the masses get their rights.”
Bilawal hailed Hyderabad’s continued support for the PPP and the legacy of his late mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. “Hyderabad has proved that it stands with the PPP and Benazir Bhutto,” he noted.
In a pointed message to the federal government, Bhutto-Zardari threatened to quit the coalition if the controversial canals project is not scrapped. “It is because of us that those people are sitting in Islamabad,” he said, referencing the PPP’s support in forming the current government. “We have ensured that Shehbaz Sharif becomes the country’s premier twice.”
“We don’t want to rule,” he concluded, “but we demand respect and rights for the people.”
