ISLAMABAD : Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday claimed that the government had crushed the common man.

Addressing a party delegation here, he said, the government has destroyed the economy of the country. “According to reports there has been an increase of 1000 billion rupees in foreign debt just in the last four days,” he said.

He said that houses of poor people were destroyed in the name of anti-encroachment drive which is inhuman. “Poor of this country are crying due to the current government which had made big promises with them. How can the PPP leaders and workers remain silent over this situation,” Bilawal questioned.

He vowed that PPP will not be cowed down by blatant use of force or vilification campaign against the PPP leadership.  “PPP has a history of standing up to dictators in the country. PPP will resist all kinds of excesses by this regime,” he said, adding the PPP will help special persons in every field because they have the right of decent living.

Independent candidate from Islamabad in the last elections announced joining PPP on the occasion.

President PPP Islamabad Iftikhar Shahzada, Agha Muhammad Ali, Shah Nawaz Khan, Ali Sabzwari, Malik Francis, Zahid Iqbal, Riffat Ali, Farrukh Qureshi, Tariq Taimuri, Hameed Kiani, Qazi Maqsood, Chaudhry Rizwan, Nida Nazir, Waseem Nazir, Asim and Zulqurnain were included in the delegation while Secretary General PPP Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari was also present.

Meanwhile, Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman, along with local PPP office bearers visited the family of 10-year old Farishta Mohmand to offer her condolences yesterday.

She said that the government must take responsibility for this horrific incident. She said that a suspension for a blatant breach of police protocol and conduct is not enough. They should have been released from their duty right away.