Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Friday said his party believes in democracy and that every institution has to work within the limits defined by the constitution.
“Founding Chairman Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto laid down their lives for democracy because they believed in it being the central tenet of the Pakistan People’s Party,” Bilawal said in a message on the eve of PPP’s 52nd Foundation Day being celebrated on Saturday (today). He reiterated his commitment to the party’s founding principles of constitutionalism, rule of law, democracy and equality. He pledged his unwavering commitment to the 52-year struggle. “I will continue to fight for the rights and will of the people until the emancipation of our people from the structural inequalities that plague us,” he resolved.
Bilawal pointed out that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto stood shoulder to shoulder with disenfranchised hariis, students, intellectuals, artists and the marginalised segments of the society to empower them. “He led by example. The loudest voice for democracy and the rights of the people – Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto – was the flag-bearer for an equitable Pakistan, a cause that he fought for till his final breath,” he said. “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto managed to give Pakistan its first unanimous constitution, a document which even today is the foundation of our Federation,” he said. “The constitution, despite horrendous adventurism by dictatorial forces, serves as the bedrock for our country and is the one democratic action no dictator has been able to undo,” he added.
The PPP chief said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. “The PPP government, under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, also led the way in creating a backbone for our economy by building and setting up projects like Pakistan Steel Mills, Port Qasim, Heavy Mechanical Complex, and setting up industries across the country from Badin to Bajaur,” he said.
Bilawal also paid rich tribute to Benazir Bhutto for picking up the flag and leading the struggle for democracy and the rights of the people following the judicial murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. “The tin-pot dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq had thought that he could snuff the will of the people by assassinating Pakistan’s first democratic prime minister, but she fought valiantly against the forces of darkness and dictatorship and led the masses in the struggle for restoration of democracy,” he said. “As prime minister, she fought for the rights of women, setting up the First Women’s Bank, setting up women police stations, appointing the first female high court judges and beginning the renowned lady health worker programs,” he went on to say. “Unions were legalised once again and she lived up to her name, becoming a beacon of light for students, labourers, peasants, farmers, traders, the disenfranchised and the marginalised. Under her leadership, the PPP government also established largest number of educational institutions and hospitals in the country,” he added.
Bilawal said Muzaffarabad has been chosen as the venue to celebrate PPP’s 52nd Foundation Day because of the Kashmir issue. He said the PPP continues to support the right of self-determination for the Kashmiri people.
Bilawal also vowed that PPP leadership and workers will not rest until the mission of their martyred leadership is completed. “Pakistan must become an egalitarian, equitable society. A nation where we judge not by caste, creed or race, but a nation where we are measured by our compassion and humanity,” he stated, adding that his mission is to make Pakistan a model Muslim country where the rights are respected and where prosperity and peace are shared by everyone equally.