KARACHI - Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday announced that the party will lead a protest campaign against the PTI-led federal government after Ramazan.
“During Ramazan we will be busy with fasting and prayers but after that we will be on roads against this government,” he said while addressing a public gathering of the party at Dawood Chowrangi area of the metropolis held to mark International Workers Day. Top provincial party leaders including PPPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers and other party leaders also attended and addressed the gathering.
Bilawal Bhutto said that they would take to streets after Ramazan and would protest inside and outside the parliament against failed policies of the federal government and inflation in the country.
The party chairman also demanded an apology from the Prime Minister Imran Khan towards labourers for his government’s failed economic policies for which the labourers and poor had to bear the brunt.
“It has become difficult for the labourers to run their household after hike in commodities prices,” he said adding that they should tender apology to labourers for wasting eight months and increasing inflation and unemployment in the country.
“We will take revenge on behalf of labourers,” he said. He said that only PPPP has cared most for the labourers. “They did not have any rights but Bhutto gave them first labour policy,” he claimed, adding that from EoBI pensions to worker welfare board and courage to workers to look into the eyes of industrialists, it was all due to Bhutto.
The industrial zones, Port Qasim and Steel Mills in Karachi are due to Bhutto,” he enumerated.
While criticizing Zia for imposing ban on labour unions, he said it was Benazir Bhutto who abolished laws and both Benazir and Zardari worked for the welfare of labourers. “BISP programme was given by Zardari,” he pointed out, adding that Sindh is the only province that passed 15 laws pertaining to labour welfare and announce tripartite labour policy.
“No other province could match us in this,” he boasted.
While terming the federal government incompetent and failed, the PPP chairman said that they removed their finance minister and had to appoint finance minister of Asif Zardari. “If they blame us for irregularities then ask their finance minister, who was also a finance minister in PPPP tenure,” he argued, adding that only PPPP has a vision to lead the country towards the path of progress.
The PPP chairman also warned the federal government that they would not accept any deal with International Monetary Fund until and unless it is debated in the Parliament and assented from it.
He also lamented the PTI and PML-N for over burdening poor in their tenures to appease the rich and said that instead of announcing amnesty for rich, the government should announce packages for poor.
Terming the NAB law as black, the PPPP chairman said that the NAB and FIA are being used to harass business community. “Asif Zardari had already said that either it will be NAB or business in the country, he quoted, adding that the corruption watchdog is involved in victimisation and torture of professors in Lahore, doctors and a decorated army official Asad Munir.
“We are not against accountability instead we believe a transparent accountability will strengthen democracy but ongoing NAB activities would further grow corruption,” he asserted, adding that there should be one law for everyone whether it be judge, general or politician.
He also blamed investigating institutions for having dual standards in dealing cases of Sindh and Punjab.
“Arrest are made before conviction in Sindh but happens on contrary in Punjab,” he claimed, adding that a mill owner in Punjab found of having benami accounts is free to roam and run government affairs while a Sindh industrialist is arrested and his family is harassed in the same case. “NAB activities could not silence or break us, he declared, adding that this was all done to deprive masses from their rights guaranteed under the 1973 constitution and 18th amendment given by PPP leaderships.
GDA and MQM-P has to be made accountable for the failure of this government as they are coalition partners, he said adding that instead of giving 10 million employment and five million houses, the PTI government had made people unemployed and demolished houses in the name of encroachment drive.
Karachi citizens could not be blamed for Altaf sins and this so-called leadership of Karachi does not speak against snatching of mandate of the city and rights of the city. “We will expose this irregularity,” he said, adding that MQM-P do not lose nine zero as it was a fake based on selection.
Karachi’s Bialwal will continue to raise voice for the city,” he said, adding that the count of census in Karachi and other parts of Sindh is fake and “we reject it and will continue to raise our voice.”
Karachi’s Bilawal will raise voice for gas and water theft in the province,” he said and also expressed his concern over rising incidents of missing persons and extra-judicial killing.
While criticizing division demands from MQM-P, he said they want to create fights on the basis of linguistics and divide brothers. We have a message for them that we will work more for our rights united rather than fight with each other to give others a chance.