Report in The Nation, Nov 23, 2023
CHITRAL/ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Wednesday said that people’s rule would be established after winning the February 8 general election.
He said leaders of opposition parties have disappointed people and masses of KP were looking now to PPP for resolutions of their problems. Addressing party convention here, he said that veteran leaders of opposition parties failed to address the masses’ problems during their tenures as prime minister and they should now sit at home and allow young leadership to address the country’s problems.
He said the people of KP would reject all those political parties who failed to deliver despite remaining in power for nearly 10 years in KP. He said people also knew about a Punjab-based political party that plunged the country into a price hike affecting the lives of the common man.
He said the country suffered due to politics of confrontation and hate-based politics by two opposition parties that deceived the masses on the name of socalled change and respect for votes. Bilawal said that people wanted employment and not agitation. He said Sindh province had made progress due to the continuity of PPP regime policies and recorded development projects completed there.
He demanded full implementation of the 18th Constitutional amendment and NFC share to provinces.
Bilawal said the people of Chitral were close to his heart and their problems would be addressed after coming into power.
He said Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Shaheed and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed laid down their lives but never compromised on the rights of the people and democracy. He said the February 8 election would bring success to PPP. Bilawal expressed his desire for a committed PPP supporter (Jiyala) to become the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Outlining his plans for the province, he emphasised the PPP’s commitment to constructing roads and hospitals to enhance local infrastructure.
While expressing his wish to alleviate the people’s sufferings, Bilawal criticised the current state of governance, predicting that the current trajectory would only intensify the challenges faced by the public.
He outlined ambitious plans for infrastructure development, including roads connecting Chitral to China, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, and the utilisation of water resources for power generation. Bilawal also pledged a special quota in the Benazir Income Support Programme for regions like Chitral.
Regarding economic challenges, Bilawal declared poverty, unemployment, and inflation as opponents, expressing eagerness for the upcoming elections to allow the PPP to change the fate of Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Pakistan as a whole.
Meanwhile, President Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday in a meeting with the party office bearers of Punjab issued directions regarding the preparation of upcoming general elections in the country. According to a press release issued by the party secretariat, they discussed potential candidates in Punjab on the party tickets in the province.
The office bearers met included Acting President Punjab Rana Farooq Saeed, Hassan Murtaza, Shahzad Cheema, Samina Khalid Ghurki, Imtaiz Safdar Warrich, Divisional President Head Salim Haider, Asif Bashir Bahgat, Tasneem Qureshi, Ghulam Farid Kathia and others.
Separately, Aurangzeb Waraich, a prominent businessman and social activist, met President PPP Women’s Wing Faryal Talpur, at Zardari House Islamabad. Waraich announced his decision to join the PPP, expressing confidence in the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari. Faryal Talpur welcomed Waraich in the party, emphasizing that only PPP’s leadership can navigate the country out of its current challenges.
She said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s vision aims to end divisive politics and unite Pakistan, resonating particularly with the youth who aspire to see him as the next Prime Minister.
https://www.nation.com.pk/E-Paper/lahore/2023-11-23/page-1/detail-3
