Karachi - Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday revealed that the political parties had a consensus that they will not do anything that could derail the Chinese investment in the country.
Addressing a public gathering at Lyari’s Kikri Ground, he said during his recent visit to Islamabad where he invited all political parties, it was decided that Chinese investment will not be harmed in any way and there will be no politicking on it from any side.
In the event, held just a day after the PPP’s abysmal performance in local bodies’ polls in all the cantonments of the country, he announced a special development package for Lyari and urged Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to hand over party leadership to youth for strengthening PPP.
Lyari has been a PPP stronghold for years, but in past some years it has received little attention from party leadership. The ground, where seating arrangement of 25,000 was made, was brimming with people waving party flags while banners and posters were also placed at the ground. The gathering was also attended by PPP MNAs, MPAs and office bearers from Karachi Division.
Zardari said as long as Bilawal Bhutto and Assefa do not return to the country, he would continue to raise the flag of PPP given to him by slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto. “When they return, they will be there with their people to serve them,” he said. He said that this is not just a public gathering for him; instead, it is the beginning of the political campaign for next elections.
“We will safeguard the interests of Baloch, Pashtuns, Sindhis and Punjabis alike and will not allow anyone to make them a minority in their own areas as a result of the influx of foreigners (from within the country and outside) as a result of Chinese investment,” PPP chief said, adding that PPP would work for rights of every section of the society.
Zardari said he called for assistance from different countries during his presidency but it was only China that responded positively. It is for the first time that China is investing in commercial activities of the country as earlier all its investment was focused on strategically and militarily importance sectors, he said. It was PPP which initiated friendship with China, initiated work on Gwadar project and developed roads and other infrastructure in the country, he said.
Speaking about Kashmir issue, the PPP leader said Kashmiris were being suppressed and advised India against committing atrocities in the valley as it could force Indian Muslims to raise their voice which would create trouble for New Delhi.
Referring to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, he said the Captain was making noise over stealing of their mandate for once. PPP’s mandate was stolen several times but it never gave up its efforts and raised the slogan: Tum kitne Bhutto maro gay - Har ghar se Bhutto niklay ga. “Today from Bhit Shah to Kashmir, PPP has proved its presence everywhere.”
Speaking regarding transfer of powers to youth within party, the PPP leader asked Qaim Ali Shah to strengthen the party by bring new blood in it and giving leadership to the youth. He said that he and Qaim Shah would run the government affairs while the youth would run the party affairs. He said that if someone says that PPP is not popular across the country, he would not accept it.
Announcing special packages for Lyari, PPP co-chairman said he had asked Sindh CM to give one billion rupees development package, Bilawal Bhutto Engineering College and two housing schemes for the area. He also announced to regularise all contract based government daily wagers from Lyari and said that he had also secured promise from the chief minister to end water scarcity in the area and provide them with clean water within three months.
Asif Zardari said that Lyari and PPP can never be separated from each other and people of the area had stood beside PPP leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. He said people of Lyari had given many sacrifices for the party; and when a Lyari man was critically wounded while safeguarding Benazir Bhutto on 18 October, 2007, the last word uttered by the martyr were: Long Live Bhutto. The PPP had also not left them alone and had carried out various development projects in the area, he added.
He said that Lyari was peaceful place of Karachi in the past and during shutdowns in other parts of the city, it was Lyari that remained open and the business community considered it safe here and their businesses thrived here. But, in dictator’s eras, especially in the rule of General Pervez Musharraf, its peace was ruined and criminal elements were permitted to do their activities. “But PPP will restore peace in the area,” he pledged.
He said that his opponents might not know that he contested polls on the direction of Benazir Bhutto from Lyari and was elected MNA while in the prison, and he was released, he staged his first public gathering in this area. He said that two of his children were also born in Lyari and Bilawal has so much affection and love for the area that he would sometimes visit the area secretly because he did not permit him to do so frequently due to security reasons.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah said that people were predicting that PPP would not be able to hold public gathering in the area; however, it was the efforts of people of Lyari that made it happen. He also shed light on the sacrifices of the people of the area for PPP and said that despite difficulties neither PPP ever left them nor the Lyariities had broken their relationship with the party. He said that Sindh government had carried out the development work of Rs3.85 billion for the betterment of the people of the area.
PPPP Central Vice President Sherry Rehman said that people of Lyari were targeted for being loyal to the PPP and despite being bombed, the PPP leadership never believed in politics of violence and gave sacrifices and would continue to do so for the future of the people of the country. “People rejected those who are doing politics of ethnicity, sectarianism and religious extremism. It is the PPP that has brought politics of peace, democracy and prosperity,” she said.