Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has urged the federal government to abandon its "confrontational approach" and engage all stakeholders, saying economic hardship should come before political fights. He was speaking in Larkana on Friday, 6 November, at the groundbreaking ceremony for a 600-bed hospital.

"The people of Pakistan are finding it difficult to live economically," Bilawal said, adding that the government's priority should be addressing the difficulties faced by the public rather than engaging in political confrontations.

"When will we focus on economic development?"

"If we fight the PTI, Maulana [Fazlur Rehman], terrorists, India and Afghanistan, we will remain occupied with this work. When will we focus on economic development?" he asked. He urged the government to engage all stakeholders instead of picking fights with everyone, stressing that political differences should be set aside to address economic challenges.

Electoral reforms committee

Turning to electoral reforms, Bilawal said the PTI should take part in the parliamentary committee formed to discuss changes to the electoral process. He urged opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate to ensure the PTI's representation in the committee unconditionally, saying they had been given full authority by PTI founder Imran Khan to make the decision. The opposition has repeatedly maintained that Khan should first be released or allowed to meet party leaders before engaging in other matters.

Meeting with the prime minister

Bilawal described his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as positive, saying both sides had worked together to formulate a strategy. He said the federal government's budgets had been approved with the PPP's support and that the Centre was now extending assistance for development projects, though Balochistan had complaints about not receiving federal projects. He said he had suggested the prime minister convene cabinet meetings in the provinces.

Governor's rule in KP

Pakistan Point reports Bilawal as saying he and the prime minister could not be blamed if governor's rule was imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and that an agreement had been reached not to impose it alongside a deal on National Action Plan Three — but that the KP chief minister was not ready to honour the agreement.

The Larkana hospital

Speaking about the new hospital, Bilawal said Chandka Hospital was a gift from former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the people but was now unable to cope with its growing patient burden. He said people from Balochistan, including Naseerabad, also travelled to Larkana for treatment, and that Sindh was spending Rs45 billion on higher education alongside its focus on healthcare.