Bilawal inaugurates 'Shahrah-e-Bhutto' linking Karachi’s Qayyumabad to M-9 Motorway

Karachi (Web Desk): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday officially opened the 39-kilometre Shahrah-e-Bhutto Expressway, a major route connecting Karachi’s Qayyumabad area with the M-9 Motorway.

The PPP chief also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for another expressway project that will connect Karachi Port to Qayyumabad.

Addressing the ceremony, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that when comparing development work carried out between 1947 and 2008 with projects completed afterward, it becomes evident that the PPP was the only political force that introduced meaningful development initiatives.

He said Karachi had become attractive for people from all parts of Pakistan who wish to visit, work and settle in the city because of the opportunities created there.

The PPP chairman described Karachi not only as Pakistan’s economic centre but also as the country’s leading healthcare hub.

Referring to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi, he said the Sindh government assumed its administrative control after the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

Bilawal invited political opponents to examine the condition of the hospital before and after the amendment, saying it had evolved into one of the world’s biggest institutions providing free cardiac treatment.

He also pointed out that the Shahrah-e-Bhutto Expressway was completed under a public-private partnership arrangement.

Bilawal said that Pakistan was currently facing economic strain and said the ongoing Israel-US conflict involving Iran was adding financial pressure globally, with ordinary and hardworking people suffering the most.

He said anyone striving for peace under such circumstances was performing a noble service.

Bilawal thanked Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their efforts aimed at preventing war, adding that the PPP had always opposed conflict, particularly given the country’s fragile economic conditions.

The PPP chairman further said his party was focused on reducing the economic burden on citizens by creating new opportunities for financial relief.

He stressed the importance of launching initiatives that strengthen economic activity and generate opportunities for people.

Bilawal also stated that the Sindh government was leading the country in public-private partnership projects, which, according to him, had earned international recognition and demonstrated the PPP’s ability to fulfil its commitments.

Earlier, Speaking during the ceremony, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the newly completed corridor features six interchanges, six lanes and a five-kilometre elevated portion.

He recalled that Bilawal had inaugurated the first nine-kilometre section of the project in January 2025, while another four-kilometre stretch was opened in June last year. The remaining section, he said, has now been completed and inaugurated in May 2026.

Murad Ali Shah noted that the project took nearly four to four-and-a-half years to complete.

The Sindh CM said that construction could have been wrapped up sooner, but the government deliberately avoided displacing residents living along the route.

He added that the expressway will greatly improve travel for people heading out of Karachi towards Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan by cutting journey times by almost an hour.

Murad Ali Shah further stated that development work worth Rs1,700 billion is currently in progress across Karachi.

The Sindh CM added that during the last three months alone, projects exceeding Rs70 billion had received approval.