US CG Shelton lauds Bhutto family’s services and sacrifices

United States Consul General in Karachi Grace Shelton travelled to Larkana on October 19 to emphasise the strong historical and ongoing ties between the US and the people of Sindh.

In Larkana, Consul General Shelton visited a US- funded rural health center (RHC) that specialises in maternal and child health care, which is provided to the community free of cost, said a press release issued by the consulate on Friday.

The RHC is one of 28 facilities the United States supports in the Larkana district. In the past three years, US assistance funding has supported three hospitals in Sindh and helped train thousands of medical professionals working in the area. 

The consul general also met a group of 50 English Access Scholarship students at the Lincoln Corner in Larkana’s Shahnawaz Bhutto Public Library. She and the students commemorated the 25th Annual International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by discussing this year’s theme, “A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies.” 

The students also gave performances celebrating Sindhi culture. The English Access scholarship program provides English language training to economically disadvantaged youth aged 13-20 to give them the skills to improve their employment and educational prospects. 

Consul General Shelton paid respects on behalf of the American people and the Government of the United States at the tomb of former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. 

Offering her respects, she said, “The Bhutto family embodied the ethic of public service and the terrible sacrifices that service sometimes demands. We are inspired to persevere in the face of terrorism, and to fulfill the dream of a Pakistan that is peaceful, prosperous, and democratic.”

She also met with business and political leaders from Larkana to exchange views on trade and investment as well as other areas of US-Pakistan cooperation. 

Speaking about her time in Larkana, Consul General Shelton said, “I was greatly pleased to be back in this beautiful district and see first-hand many lives that have been touched by the relationship between Pakistan and the United States.

Health and education are the keys to a brighter future, and it is immensely rewarding to see how our work with the Sindh government in these fields has improved the lives of so many.”

The United States is also constructing more than 100 modern schools in Sindh to increase student enrollment, with a special focus on bringing back children who have dropped out of school.