Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. PHOTO: AFP
Putting an end to a guessing game about his tiff with his father, Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that he would lead the election campaign of his party which will kick-start on April 3 from Naudero House in Larkana.
The PPP was supposed to stage a big public rally in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, the ancestral village of the Bhutto family, on the anniversary of the hanging of its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on April 4, 1979.
The rally was, however, called off for security reasons. “We are not organising a big national-level rally this time. Meetings are being held at district level separately,” Naudero House spokesperson Ghulam Mustafa Leghari said.
Speaking to members of PPP’s provincial and federal parliamentary boards via video link from Bilawal House in Karachi, the scion of the Bhutto family directed them to finalise the allotment of party tickets without any delay.
“It is high time party workers and leadership stood up and started preparations for the upcoming election. We want a massive campaign across the country,” he said.
Senior PPP leaders dispelled the rumours that their party would not stage public rallies as part of its election campaign due to security threats.
“At least 20 massive public rallies will be held in different cities and towns, which will be addressed by Bilawal Bhutto,” Qamar Zaman Kaira told The Express Tribune. Bilawal would also address corner meetings of the party during the election campaign.
At Tuesday’s meeting seven committees were formed to monitor the election campaign, with a central committee to be supervised by Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
Punjab has been divided into three parts: former premier Raja Pervaiz Asharf is responsible for upper Punjab, former chief minister Mian Manzoor Wattoo for central Punjab and former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani for south Punjab.
Sindh’s former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah will lead PPP’s election campaign in Sindh, Anwar Saifullah in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sadiq Umrani and Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hasni in Balochistan.
Party Chairperson Bilawal directed Kaira to activate the party’s media cells and start mobilising the media about the PPP election campaign. “Bilawal Bhutto has said election cells be established at provincial and district levels,” said a PPP leader, who attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, a large number of PPP workers belonging to its minority wing protested outside Bilawal House against alleged discrimination in the award of party tickets. They claimed that the party was awarding tickets only to well-off Hindus and neglecting its jiyalas from the Christian and scheduled caste communities.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2013.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
and that might be the reason PPP want more and more poor people in this country....as they have vote bank in poor ppl only@Saleem:
PPP leasers have given sacrifices for democracy and not cut deals by signing pardon papers and running away Nor do I support Imran khans tantrums, poor integrity and poor character .Checks and balances should apply to the courts more than others We have case of Arslan who is openly defying law with the help of courts Checks and balances for judges who have acquired plots of land for nothing. One wonders how much time Court wastes on cases which could have been better spent in more urgent matters.Are sixty million in Swiss banks more than letting the thousands of appeals getting adjourned all over Pakistan due to the CJ’s incessant need to play politics?
Like the five years weren't enough for the revenge and they now want to come back again for another 5 years :)
This is just totally wrong. Our political system is such, once you're in politics the whole family follows you. If you look at the internal election of PPP, you can clearly see that the party has no "Man" to run the party, but the "Democratic" label is everywhere. He did say "Democracy is the best revenge", so true, following in his grandfather steps when he said "agreements are broken". The foreseeable future of democracy in Pakistan will remain the same, elite will rule and the poor will elect them time and time again. Can we learn from the great "Man"
"Those days have gone when the country was ruled by the bureaucracy. It is people’s Government, responsible to the people more or less on democratic lines and parliamentary practice….Make the people feel that you are their servants and friends, maintain the highest standard of honour, integrity, justice and fairplay". (M.A. Jinnah - Address to Gazetted Officers, Chittagong, 25 March 1948)
Despite a lot of criticism by several opponents, People's Party till this day still has a large political strength in Pakistan especially among poor masses living in the rural areas (Which is about 70 % of Pakistan). People from large cities or urban areas (Almost 30 % of Pakistan) have never really voted for them in the first place, but a lot of people in Rural Pakistan who don't have access to Facebook or Internet, will actually cast their votes on the election day despite the weather or anything that may occur rather than campaigning online or sitting at their homes.
At least 20 massive public rallies will be held in different cities and towns, which will be addressed by Bilawal Bhutto PPP knows that they need another Bhutto Sacrifice to win the election!!!
@Hamza: Down with the DRAWING ROOM politics of the members of the armed forces and their kins!
@Hamza: Mr. Son-of-Air Commodore! You and your dad can huff and you can puff, but the truth is Musharaff is not coming back. Period!
Down with feudalism! this time, vote for change and real democracy! Not for a corrupt dynasty!
Vote the little bugger out. Democracy is the best revenge.
i totally agree with you hamza
What has he done that he gets so much media coverage? I bet he does not even know his way home from airport, yet he's coming to change our destiny?!
If thats the case then lets apply feudalism everywhere. My father retired as Air Commodore from Air Force. By this silly logic, at the age of 25 I should also be made Air Commodore. If some loser (who would not even get a job anywhere) can become prime minister simply by being the son of somebody then surely I should be able to become Air Commodore as well!!
DOWN WITH FEUDAL POLITICS!
People should reject dynastic and corrupt politicians.