ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday vowed to save democracy in the country.
He termed democracy an unquestionable guarantee of security and progress of the country adding that two Pakistans, instead of one, will continue to exist unless the Constitution was not followed as per its spirit, besides maintaining the supremacy of Parliament.
In a message on the occasion of International Day of Democracy, the PPP chairman said that in a multicultural society like Pakistan, federal democracy is the only system of governance that upholds civil and political rights and nurtures a balanced society. “There are no two opinions that a strong democracy and a strong Pakistan are inseparable”, he maintained.
Bilawal said that Pakistan People’s Party had made a long and historic struggle for democracy in Pakistan, and its governments had taken revolutionary steps to strengthen democracy.
“PPP’s founding chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gifted the nation a consensus constitution based on democracy, adding that Benazir Bhutto fought against the two dictators for restoration of democracy in the country, strengthened democratic institutions and opened avenues for the oppressed classes of the society to represent themselves in the corridors of the power,” he said.
Bilawal added:”Mard-e-Hur President Asif Ali Zardari restored the constitution to its original shape, surrendered his presidential powers to the Parliament, and formed an inclusive government through adopting the reconciliation policy.”
The PPP chief said that the third generation of the PPP leadership is standing on the struggle-ground holding the banner of, “Taqat Ka Sarchashma Awam Hy” (people are the source of power).
He pledged that the PPP would neither allow the illegitimate and failed PTI-government to rob the public of their rights nor to encroach upon any pillar of the state.
“Attempting to suppress and gag every dissenting voice by the selected government are aimed at to weaken democracy as the puppets have bifurcated Pakistanis into two groups in a Pakistan, which was established as a singular country by its founders,” he said.
Meanwhile, reacting to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal) Chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman’s statement, Central Secretary for Information PPP, Faisal Karim Kundi said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman has experience in carrying out marches and then ending long marches abruptly.
“What benefit the Maulana’s long marches and march towards Islamabad and sit-in gave to the nation and the democracy in the country? That sit-in was nothing but a waste of time,” Ge said.
Kundi added: “You have no excuse not to bring a no-confidence motion against Buzdar except that you do not want to overthrow the Buzdar government even after seeing the people of Punjab in anguish.”
He said that now there is no talk of resignations before the long march. “It has been proved that the issue of resignations was another LFO (Legal Framework Order) which was passed by Maulana and in return he had got the post of Leader of the Opposition in the national assembly during Pervez Musharraf’s time,” he reminded.
Kundi asked how can “you initiate a no-confidence motion against government of Punjab to get rid of the Prime Minister who is your ally in Sindh?”
Kundi asked Maulana to bring a no-confidence motion because Prime Minister Imran Khan cannot stay in power for long after Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar is dislodged.
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