Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari kicked off the anti-Sharif’ campaign in Punjab, leading his first ever protest caravan from Lahore to Faisalabad. Bilawal also confirmed, while addressing the participants of the caravan that his party was still standing with its four point demands that would be fulfilled, come what may. He also predicted that he would rid the nation of Sharifs this year but the people should also take to the streets against the corrupt system prevailing in the country.

The protest caravan started from Bilawal House located at Bahria Town here in the morning on Thursday. PPP Central Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira was driving the chairman’s vehicle while Aitzaz Ahsan and Naveed Chuadhry gave a traditional Lahori breakfast to the participants.

During the protest rally, Bilawal, much like his late mother Benazir Bhutto daringly opened the sunroof of his highly protected vehicle and waved to the gathering and chanted slogans like ‘Go Nawaz Go’ and ‘Jaag Punjabi Jaag’. He also said that his rally had commenced and it would not stop now.

On this occasion, security was very tight and several policemen as well as his personal guards cordoned off the area. Dozens of motor vehicles as well as a special truck decorated and equipped with the party banners, posters, flaxes and DJ System was running with the caravan.

As per schedule, the PPP Chairman delivered speeches at different spots on his route on the Sheikhupura-Faisalabad Road and strongly criticised the Sharifs’ government in the centre and Punjab province, saying that the rulers were guilty of increasing inflation, unemployment and poverty in Pakistan.

Bilawal said that due to the shortfall of electricity and gas, industries were shutting down day by day. He said that rulers were busy in protecting their interests only and had no sympathy for the issues of the poor. He said that the issue of load shedding of gas for the industries could easily be solved if the Sharifs implement the Pak Iran Gas Pipeline project started in former president Asif Zardari’s era.