MULTAN/MUZAFFARGARH  -  Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bi­lawal Bhutto Zardari while address­ing party workers in Muzaffargarh on Wednesday said the people of Muzaf­fargarh offered unwavering support to Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and then Shaheed Mohtar­ma Benazir Bhutto. 

“You have never disappointed the party. During the 2018 elections, de­spite the pressure of the state, three of our National Assembly representatives emerged triumphant due to the people of Muzaffargarh. It is hoped that Mu­zaffargarh would give us five victorious National Assembly members in the up­coming elections,” Bilawal said.

He said that the people of Mu­zaffargarh supported the PPP party as it initiated the no-con­fidence movement and partici­pated in the long march to reach Islamabad. “We were able to oust a puppet PM from office who had not only paved the way for political, economic or con­stitutional crises but also left us in a quagmire when it comes to foreign affairs.” 

“Today, Pakistan is riddled with a plethora of issues. As I have been travelling by road, I have been apprised of the prob­lems of the people through them directly, and their issues range from the ever-increasing inflation to meeting basic needs such as food, health and educa­tion.” Bilawal said that the solu­tion of all these crises lies in the manifesto of Shaheed Zu­lfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto who taught us that the economy of the country can only stand on its own when the people are fi­nancially strengthened. 

This is the basic difference between the philosophy of the PPP and that of the other par­ties who prioritise the elite over the common people of the coun­try, he added. The PPP wish­es for the benefits of subsidies to reach farmers directly, with­out the industrialist or the mid­dle man. We will help the coun­try emerge from this economic turmoil through the philosophy of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and President Zardari. 

Mill owners and industrialists have the access they need, it is the farmers and labourers that require a voice. The PPP is that voice. He said that in the next PPP government, the support that is available to others will be extended to self-employed labourers and those in the pri­vate sector to reap the benefits and perks of their hard work.

Prior to President Zardari as­suming the responsibility of the 2008 government, we were riddled with wheat, sugar, rice and other crises. We would im­port most commodities. With­in a year, the PPP government was not only able to produce to the extent that it met our coun­try’s needs but also was able to export it to other countries. Pa­kistan will prosper if the farm­er prospers. He said that he is aware of the challenges but we also have the solutions to those embedded in our manifesto. 

Chairman Bilawal said that we have fought three elections together, and this time too, it is hoped that the Jiyala will emerge victorious. He instruct­ed the party’s representatives and office bearers to not wait anymore and begin their prepa­rations to reach every house and correct the deliberately misconstructed image of their party so that these selected gov­ernments could be imposed on us. We will not let the anti-peo­ple entities who are the perpe­trators of the May 9 attacks and wish to create a gap between the institutions and the public succeed. The only way to com­bat them is through elections. At a time when the state’s re­sources were being used to help Imran Khan win, the represen­tatives of Muzaffargarh were able to stand firm on their own and defeated their opponents. It is expected that we will now have the strength to see our long-standing wish of giving their own province to the peo­ple of Muzaffargarh come to its realisation, Chairman Bilaw­al said. We will perform better than we did in the past, and the day that the PPP is able to form a government in the country once again due to the support and prayer of the people is not far, Chairman PPP resolved. 

Responding to questions, Chairman Bilawal said that the upcoming manifesto of the PPP will include many programmes such as that of the BISP. He said that the PPP will devise its strategy regarding the elec­tions in its CEC meeting today. No one knows when the elec­tions are supposed to be held, not me, or the Chief Election Commissioner, but a certain party already has the informa­tion. This is the reason I talk about level playing field. He said that the previous govern­ment was run by an alliance of the PDM and the PPP, each are answerable for their own min­isterial performances. He said that the problems of the coun­try are such that one party can­not claim that it alone will be able to handle everything, we have to move forward with a united approach. It is unfortu­nate that political polarisation has turned us into enemies in­stead of political opponents. We would need to create an equilibrium which allows for all political parties to operate independently but work unit­edly for the country. As far as delimitations are concerned, if they are to take place, they could be done in 90 days as per the Constitution. If they are to be delayed, then the ECP can see to it that at least the date is given. He said that the CEC of the party will decide the elec­tion strategy but it is his per­sonal wish for every constit­uency to be won by the arrow of the PPP. The PDM does not seem interested in the Charter of Economy anymore, it used to be. We had also wished for a second CoD to take place. It is very difficult for us to engage those who were directly in­volved in anti-nation acts such as the perpetrators of May 9, but the rest, regardless of their political affiliation are all cit­izens of Pakistan and we are willing to work with them for the sake of the country.

Earlier, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari distributed cer­tificates to the winners of a dec­lamation contest on the topic “Pakistan’s International Obli­gations” at the NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology Multan.He also inaugurated two blocks at the Institute named af­ter Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Bena­zir Bhutto. They both believed in providing education oppor­tunities to the youth especial­ly higher education, Chairman PPP said. This is why the PPP focuses on providing oppor­tunities to the students from less developed areas. It is com­mendable that this institute did not increase the fee for students since 2012. The philosophy of the PPP is that there should be no hurdles in providing educa­tion and health. Institutions like these prove that public institu­tions can deliver education of a high standard. He also thanked the Institute for extending help during the floods last year.