Karachi  -   Pakistan People’s Party on Saturday announced that the party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto will lead a “public awareness” campaign in the province against possible arrest of the party leadership and cut in funds of the Sindh province by the federal government.

The decision was made at the PPPP Sindh Council meeting held at Chief Minister’s House. The meeting was attended by top brass of the party including Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, PPPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro, General Secretary Waqar Mehdi, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and others.

The meeting decided that on the occasion of the death anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the PPP chairman would travel by road from Karachi to Larkana, as power show of the party. “He will be addressing rallies at different spots during the road march, highlighting political victimization of party leaders and cuts in provincial funds by the federal government,” informed PPPP Sindh chief Nisar Khuhro while divulging details of meeting to media.

He said that the party could not be scared off with politics of victimization and its leadership is in the country to face whatever comes into their way. “If they had decided to arrest our leadership then we are also ready for it,” he declared.

He claimed that the party chairman has taken stock of “what he called” injustices of the federal government with Sindh in terms of federal transfers. “The province is not getting its due share that has halted process of development, which is aimed at pushing the province towards backwardness,” he claimed.

Khuhro said that the masses have got disappointed with the incumbent federal government due to continuous inflation and hike in petroleum and electricity prices.

“Sindh will witness a large turnout when Bilawal Bhutto will be on roads,” he claimed, adding that when Benazir Bhutto was martyred, they turned the violence into public power and this time also, the masses would come out for their due rights.

Earlier, addressing the Sindh Council meeting, Bilawal Bhutto once again reiterated his demands that a joint parliamentary committee on national security be formed for an oversight of the national security affairs. He said that the federal government should disassociate itself from the banned outfits and immediately remove its three ministers that have openly associated themselves with these organisations in one way or the other.

He blamed that the federal authorities are not serious in eliminating terrorism from the country and it seems that the militants have been given NRO. He also raised question over a large number of missing people in the country and said that their loved ones are roaming here and there in their search.

Bilawal asked as to why the federal government is not ready to transfer provincial funds, claiming transfer of the due share of Sindh would enable it to resolve its education, health and other issues.

He claimed that the incumbent rulers do not want him in the assembly and a conspiracy was hatched during general elections to ensure his defeat from Lyari and Malakand areas to block his entry in the parliamentary politics.

“A three time prime minister is jailed along with his daughter and cases against a former president [Asif Zardari] are reopened on a phone call,” he said and asked is this the way, the incumbent rulers have won the elections. 

The party chairman announced that no one could separate him from masses and he would be travelling to Larkana from Karachi on the occasion of death anniversary of Bhutto on April 4 and meet masses.   

The party moot also called for immediate release of party leaders Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani and provincial lawmaker Sharjeel Inam Memon.

The party meeting not only condemned the arrest of the provincial assembly speaker and the lawmaker but also lamented the transfer of fake accounts case against Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur to Rawalpindi from banking court Karachi.

The resolution passed during the meeting said that the cases constituted against the PPPP leaders are based on criminal intent of the NAB authorities and is the continuation of the political victimization of the party at the hand of NAB.

The meeting blamed Prime Minister Imran Khan for “what it called” biased and fake accountability process from NAB authorities and condemned the increase in perks and privileges of the NAB officials from federal government.

The Sindh CM while addressing the meeting said that it was for the first time that the province is receiving less from federal government and they had received Rs 120 billion less from the federal government till now.

“It is the service of PPP that earned them more votes from past under the leadership of Bilawal,” he said and added that opponents are afraid from Bilawal.

Former Opposition Leader in National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that the public awareness campaign from Bilawal Bhutto would prove a quick march for the rulers.

“The party observes April 04 as a black day against the dictatorship that martyred Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who gave country a consensus constitution,” he said.