Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday inaugurated the 39-kilometre signal-free Shahrah-e-Bhutto corridor connecting Qayyumabad to the M-9 Motorway and laid the foundation stone of the Karachi Port-to-Qayyumabad Corridor Project aimed at improving connectivity and easing traffic congestion in the city.

Addressing the ceremony, Bilawal described Karachi as Pakistan’s most developed city and said people from across the country wanted to settle there.

“We welcome the people of the whole country to Karachi,” he said.

Bilawal said the Sindh government was expanding healthcare services across the province, highlighting institutions including the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation and the opening of NICVD units in every district of Karachi.

He said he had entered politics to fulfil the “unfulfilled dream” of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and added that public-private partnership projects were being launched for the benefit of people across Pakistan.

Bilawal said the government was aware of the economic difficulties faced by citizens and warned that global conflicts, including tensions linked to the Iran-US war, were increasing pressure on people worldwide.

“If there is continuous peace, economic problems will decrease,” he said, adding that prolonged conflict could further worsen public hardships.

He said Pakistan’s leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was working to address the situation and expressed hope that peace efforts would succeed.

Bilawal said the government was trying to reduce public problems by creating employment opportunities and providing relief measures within available resources.

He also highlighted infrastructure and investment initiatives in Sindh, saying international organisations had appreciated public-private partnership projects and that the planned Sindh International Financial Centre would help attract investors from around the world.

Turning to defence exports, Bilawal said global demand for Pakistan’s defence systems had increased significantly and added that manufacturing in Karachi would contribute to economic growth and industrial development.