Daily Times

Continuing his election campaign, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reached Hyderabad on Tuesday where he addressed a large gathering near Rahuki Tando Jam.

Bilawal lashed out at the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional led Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), terming it a puppet show.

He said the PPP had deep roots in the masses and no alliance could dent the party’s connection with its voters, adding that the people had rejected opportunists in the past and they would reject them again this time.

Bilawal said the July 25 election would expose the GDA whose leaders had done nothing for the welfare of the masses.

“Anti-democratic forces want to rule the country through puppet governments and that is why hurdles are being created in democratic forces’ way,” he said, appealing to such forces to allow the people to form their own governments as ‘puppet governments would not be able to resolve the issues of the country’. Rejecting what he said was propaganda agains the PPP about its role in Sindh’s water crisis, Bilawal said the people of the province were fully aware of those who signed the Water Accord in 1991 and supported a dictator for the construction of [Kalabagh] dam. He said the forces sought similar policies even today.

The PPP chairman said his party had never received a level-playing field in general elections, but the people of the country had always expressed confidence on its abilities.

“The PPP fears no accountability but it wants justice and equal treatment of all,” Bilawal said, adding that his party was the only one in the country capable of resolving the water crisis since other political parties lacked even a blueprint to address the issue. He said that the outgoing governments in the Punjab and Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa did nothing for the water sector, ‘it was the PPP’s provincial government which completed lining of canals along 1,800 kilometres besides establishing 2,000 Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants to ensure availability of clean drinking water.

Bilawal further said that the PPP was the only political party with an ideology and manifesto geared towards resolving the problems of the people, while the other political parties were yet to chalk out their plans or manifestos.

He said that like his grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and mother Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto he also wanted to serve the masses and that was why he took up the responsibility of leading the party.

Refering to his party’s manifesto, Bilawal said the PPP would issue Kisan Cards to provide loans to peasants, besides subsidisies and insurance of crops. He said the manifesto sought openning of women owned and run food stores in each union council to provide essential goods on reasonable prices.

Similarly, he said that if the PPP came into power, its government would provide loans to women so that they could start their own business and contirbute to poverty reduction. “The PPP is the only political party which is known as a peoples, workers and peasants friendly party. Whenever it received a chance, the PPP has strived to resolving the issues of the masses,” he said.

He said that those who have been engaged in criticising the performance of PPP government in Sindh should see the development works done by the then chief ministers Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Syed Murad Ali Shah.

“The PPP has always enjoyed love, respect and affection of the masses because of its struggle for the rights of the people,” he said, and added, “the party candidates would again register their victory with thumping majority.” Former CMs Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Syed Murad Ali Shah were present on the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, July 4^th 2018.