Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday lashed out at the federal government, saying the ‘puppet regime of political orphans‘ is crumbling.

“Pakistan is in danger and it is the duty of my party to complete the mission of Benazir Bhutto,” Bilawal said while addressing a rally held here at Liaquat Bagh to mark the 12th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. “Benazir was a chain that united the federation of Pakistan, but this was not acceptable to her enemies,” he said. “Political orphans are ruling over Pakistan, hence, there is a leadership as well as economic crisis in the country. These are the same political orphans Benazir warned you about,” he said. “Look at how they conduct their politics. They are cowards,” he said. “All the claims they made about politicians have proven false. They said Mian sahab [Nawaz Sharif] will never go abroad for treatment. Mian sahab went abroad for medical treatment. They said Zardari will never come out of jail. He is out of jail now too,” he said, urging the masses to support him in ousting “this government of selected and political orphans as the people’s rule cannot be established without the PPP.”

“Look at the state of this democracy. The parliament is locked, media is not free, there are attacks on the 18th Amendment, the judiciary is not free,” lamented the PPP chairman. “Terrorists may have been defeated but extremism is present all over the country,” he added.

Recounting the struggles of his mother, Bilawal said, “Every street of Rawalpindi, all its walls and buildings and its land is witness to what happened to Benazir. You people are witness to the atrocities faced by Bhutto. You are witness to how people’s rule was ended. You are witness to the atrocities faced by jiyalas (party workers).”

Bilawal said Benazir continued the struggle of her father, confronted two dictators, faced selected politicians and extremists but despite all that she “provided rights to women, freed the media and prisoners and also got missile technology for the country.” “You [people] are witness that they [political rivals] used to say a woman can never be the prime minister of a Muslim country,” he said. “You saw how she became the first female head of state of a Muslim state,” he added.

Bilawal said the credit goes to Benazir for providing Pakistan with the much-needed missile technology. He said the slain PPP leader had come back to Pakistan, before her assassination, to ensure democracy thrives in the country.

Bilawal lashed out at the government for removing more than 800,000 beneficiaries from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), terming the move a grave cruelty on part of the government. He said his mother had come back to Pakistan to establish awaami raj (people’s rule) in the country once again but on December 27, she addressed her last political gathering at this very ground. “From one family, the father, two sons and then the daughter was also martyred,” he said, adding that 2020 will be the year of free and fair elections.

Before Bilawal came to address the crowd, PPP Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari also addressed the gathering via a video message that was broadcast on a giant screen at the venue.

Speaking from a hospital bed, Zardari criticised the government for leading the country into its current political and economic situation. He said the present ruling regime has nothing to do with the problems being faced by the country’s poor. He expressed hope that Bilawal Bhutto will be able to solve these problems very soon and will lead the nation.

Ahead of the event, the venue and roads leading to Liaquat Bagh were decorated with PPP flags and pictures of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir and Bilawal. More than 50,000 seats were arranged at the venue.

A day earlier, the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court had directed the district administration to provide all facilities and security for the event. Additionally, the court had directed that the district administration and police provide Bilawal with adequate security upon his arrival in the city.

The death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto was also observed at her final resting place in Garhi Khuda Bux on Friday. Provincial lawmakers and party activists visited and offered fateha at the grave of Benazir Bhutto.