Bilawal Bhutto Inaugurates ZAB Expressway Phase
Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has inaugurated the first phase of the ZAB expressway in Karachi, a project influenced by his mother Benazir Bhutto's vision of public and private partnerships, aiming to improve the megacity's infrastructure and reduce traffic congestion.
The development of the expressway marks a significant step towards elevating Karachi's infrastructure, with Zardari emphasizing the importance of seeking international investment for this purpose. He also urged the government to focus on public-private partnerships in various sectors, including water, green energy, and infrastructure. The PPP chairman praised the public-private partnership model, which has yielded excellent results in sectors like education, healthcare, and power infrastructure.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticized the federal government for its reported "discriminatory attitude" towards Sindh province, accusing it of depriving the province of its due resources. He called on the federal government to follow Sindh's example in implementing public-private partnership projects. The Sindh government has contributed around Rs32 billion to the project, while commercial banks, development finance institutions, and the public-private partnership have jointly funded the remaining Rs23 billion.
The expressway will serve as an alternative route to Sharea Faisal and link to the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, significantly reducing the traffic burden on Karachi's congested urban roads. The project is expected to be fully operational by June 2025, marking a major milestone in the development of Karachi's infrastructure. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari praised the contributions of his family to the development of Karachi, highlighting the achievements of his father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, his mother, Benazir Bhutto, and his father, Asif Ali Zardari.
