PESHAWAR/Islamabad - PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly criticised the government for allegedly snatching the fundamental rights of people in the name of change and questioned the freedom of expression in a democratic government.

“We demand Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan not PTI’s Pakistan where state institutions including media work with full independence and there is no ban on interviews of public figures and prominent politicians,” he said this while addressing a public gathering in district Mohmand on Thursday.

He claimed that there is no relief for the masses in the federal budget and the poor people have been pushed towards the wall in the name of change and there is no one to ask about the plight of the poor masses.

He said that some elements want to keep PPP away from the election campaign in tribal districts and pave way for a single party to clean sweep the elections. But the party would not allow these elements to thwart their election campaign, he asserted. Bilawal said that the party would keep up its election struggle and has planned a number of rallies in the upcoming days.  He claimed that the PTI government was snatching the fundamental rights of people in the name of change but PPP would not let them succeed in this mission.

He added that after elections, the party would work in each teshil of Mohmand to provide basic facilities of life to the people as provided in the period of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

He accused the federal government to have started looting public money and wants to create differences over the resource distribution among the federating units but PPP will not allow them to do so.  According to him, the sitting prime minister wants to impose presidential form of government in the country and deprive the federating units of their rights. He, however, made it clear that his party would never accept the presidential form of government. He said that in the NFC Award, PPP always increased the funds for erstwhile Fata and brought 500 percent increase in the funds of the area.

DICTATORSHIP INFLICTED BIG DAMAGE TO NATION

Bilawal has said that dictators and their puppets have inflicted brutal harms on the nation’s social, economic and geographical fabric.

“Let us reiterate our commitment to democratic ideals on 42nd anniversary of July 5, 1977 when a dictator overthrew the government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first Prime Minister elected directly by the people of Pakistan,” the PPP Chairman stated on his message on the eve of the day marked as ‘Black Day’ by the party.

He said that seeds of hatred, ethnicity and religious disharmony sown by dictator Zia grew with the menace of drugs and illegal weaponry to maim the society, snatching its democratic and economic powers to resist.

The PPP Chairman said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto awakened the nation and empowered it to dream full exploration of its potential like a vibrant country.  Bilawal said that a wave of vicious victimisation was unleashed against the democratic people, especially the PPP leaders and workers.

“Thousands of them were arrested, maimed, jailed and martyred. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto refused to be murdered by the history and proudly chose the gallows proving the conviction and loyalty of a leader to his nation.

Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto launched a political struggle for restoration of democracy and the movements they led have been recorded among the most popular ones in the contemporary world,” he maintained. He reiterated that the PPP will follow the legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto not to rest until the complete restoration of democracy.  wBilawal claimed that “victimisation” of Asif Ali Zardari was the continuity of the effects of July 5 overthrow.