Third generation: In future, Bilawal to contest general elections from Lyari

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who turns 23 this September, is two years away from being eligible to run for a provincial or national assembly seat. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

The president did not specify if his son would contest the upcoming elections or later. Instead he hoped that the people in Lyari would stop complaining about their elected representatives once Bilawal contested for a seat from the area.

According to the president, Bilawal was currently studying and should be in Pakistan by September. “Bilawal plans to hold quarterly meetings with the people in Lyari to review development projects and to listen to their problems,” he said.

The president asked the chief minister to prepare a list of people who were killed in Lyari so that their families could be compensated. Plots of land will also be distributed among the families.

President Zardari announced that 500 rickshaws would be given to the young people in Lyari in an effort to increase employment. He also asked the authorities to shift all factories and godowns located in Lyari to other places because of the traffic congestion.

According to a Bilawal House spokesperson, development projects in Lyari were discussed at the meeting. “They reviewed the progress of projects including roads, sewerage system, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, flyovers and water supply schemes,” he said.

The spokesperson added that the president had underlined the need for strict compliance on the projects along with proper use of funds and to complete the projects early.

He added that during the meeting the president was told that nearly Rs2.8 billion had been spent on Lyari in the last three years. The president asked the chief minister to ensure that the scheme was completed on time.

The law and order situation in the city was also discussed at the meeting. The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, MNA Abdul Qadir Patel, provincial ministers Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Agha Siraj Durrani, Murad Ali Shah, Rafique Engineer and Sharjeel Memon.

Lyari district talk

According to sources, elected representatives from Lyari demanded that Lyari should be given the status of a district. The president asked them to wait and said that a proposal was being considered. “Lyari deserves to a district. I hope the government will meet the peoples demand,” said Katchi Abadi Minister Rafique Engineer.

Another meeting with the president

National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza met President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House on Monday. They discussed matters of national interest, the forthcoming session of parliament, security issues for parliament building, the women speakers conference and legislation. Mirza informed the president about the Saarc conference she had attended earlier.

It was earlier reported that Bilawal would contest for the seat of National Assembly from Lyari in the 2013 elections. However, Bilawal clarified on his Twitter account that he would not be contesting the next elections, but that Lyari had been declared his constituency by his father at a meeting in Karachi.

The Kachhi Coordination Council told the media on Monday that Bilawal would stand from Lyari in future elections.

According to an earlier report in The Express Tribune, PPP leaders said that Bilawal would not be jumping headfirst into politics and would first learn the workings of the party inside-out. “Bilawal has specifically expressed interest in the party’s youth wing, which was very dear to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto,” MNA Farahnaz Isphahani said.

“He will be looking into modernising the Peoples Youth Organisation, and bringing in new ideas, media technology etc through intellectual and practical exercises.”

Bilawal, who turns 23 this September, is two years away from being eligible to run for a provincial or national assembly seat. Having graduated from Oxford University last year, he could emerge as PPP’s much-needed progressive voice, given what appears to be his interest in social issues and stance on minorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th,  2011.