ISLAMABAD - Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday said that strengthening the roots of democracy in the world was the responsibility of individual nations and the collective responsibility of the democratic world. In his message on the eve of the International Day of Democracy being observed by the United Nations and its member states today (September 15), the PPP Chairman emphatically endorsed the UN statement that, “the values of freedom, respect for human rights and the principle of holding periodic and genuine elections by universal suffrage are essential elements of democracy. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the fight between democratic and dictatorial forces which began in Pakistan after the death of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is still raging despite the sacrifices of democratic leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and others who laid down their lives for democracy and human rights. He said the democratic workers of Pakistan suffered capital punishments, solitary confinements, tortures, public lashing, long imprisonments and fabricated cases at the hands of tin-pot dictators and their puppets, but never compromised on democratic and human rights of the people.
The Pakistanis struggle for democracy and the huge sacrifices made to achieve it, stands out in the contemporary struggles for democratic systems, he added. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pointed out that PPP gave to the people of Pakistan their first-even unanimous Constitution, the first-ever directly Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the first-ever woman elected Prime Minister of Islamic world Benazir Bhutto, besides the first-ever democratic government in Pakistan to complete its tenure under the then President Asif Ali Zardari. The PPP Chairman pledged that his Party, together with other democratic parties would continue the struggle for strengthening of democracy, because a strong democracy is the sole guarantee for a strong Pakistan.
“Victimisation, intimidation and fake cases cannot deter our Party and the democratic forces from carrying out the mission of our democratic leaders who embraced martyrdom but didn’t surrender,” he added.
Meanwhile, the PPP women wing held a protest demonstration against the tragedy on Lahore Motorway in front of the National Press Club Islamabad yesterday. Senator Farhatullah Babar, Dr. Nafisa Shah, Palwasha Khan and Sadaf Murtaza addressed the protestors.
Senator Farhatullah Babar and other speakers strongly condemning the tragedy said that it seems that the attention of the people is being diverted from other important issues the country is faced with.
The issue of assets beyond means of an special assistant is being covered by these statements, he said.
They said that during the federal government, the incidents of crimes against women and children have increased. Transgender were being killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They said it was so ironic that the Chief Minister Punjab held a Press briefing just to tell people that perpetrators of the Motorway tragedy have escaped arrest.
The speakers strongly condemned the statements of CCPO Lahore. After these statements of the CCPO Lahore, women in Lahore feel unsafe. The intolerant narrative is getting place in society during Imran Khan’s government that is why heinous crimes against women are on the increase during this PTI government.
Nazir Dhoki, Senator Rubina Khalid, Sibtul Hassan Bukhari, Sajjad Mangi, Shakil Abbasi, Muhammad Ali Shah, Gulzari Begum, Sohail Rumi, Danial Chaudhry and a large number of PPP workers participated in this protest.
