Bilawal rejects Sindh housing corruption claims, offers international audit
The PPP chairman asked Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to invite international organisations to review the flood housing programme and said one million homes are complete.
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday rejected corruption allegations against Sindh's housing programme for flood victims and said an international audit of the project should be held.
Speaking in Karachi, he said political opponents were running a campaign to damage the provincial government's reputation. Daily Times reported that he asked Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to invite international organisations to examine the scheme and its funding, and that he maintained the initiative had not involved corruption. The Express Tribune also reported that he rejected the allegations and accused opponents of a smear campaign.
Bilawal said the provincial government had completed one million homes for families affected by the 2022 floods. He said the programme aimed at two million houses, and he referred to a broader target of five million homes for affected families. The scheme was launched with support from international partners, according to the Daily Times report.
He said the houses came with permanent ownership and land rights, and that the properties had been registered in women's names, an arrangement he described as giving families greater security. He said he had seen the destruction of the 2022 floods across Sindh.
Bilawal compared Sindh's record with reconstruction in Balochistan, saying only 30,000 houses had been built there in three years against one million in Sindh. He said the World Bank had released funds after expressing confidence in the provincial government.
On political relations, he called for cooperation between the federal and provincial governments. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had maintained coordination with Sindh, and that both sides had assured each other of continued support. He urged parties to focus on public concerns rather than spreading divisions.
Bilawal also called for better healthcare and affordable essential services, saying governments should reduce the financial pressure on ordinary citizens. He said continued cooperation would help complete public welfare projects and improve governance.
How the reports differ
Both outlets led on Bilawal's rejection of the corruption allegations and his accusation that opponents were running a campaign against the provincial government. Daily Times carried the offer of an international audit, his request to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the housing figures and the comparison with Balochistan. The Express Tribune's published headline and standfirst were confined to the rejection and the smear-campaign accusation.
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