Next PM from PPP, predicts Zardari

PPP marks 38th death anniversary of founding chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

LARKANA: Carrying on the momentum built after his recent visit to Punjab, former president and Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday promised charged workers that the party “will sweep” the next general elections.

The PPP had resigned to a marginal position after its worst electoral performance during the last parliamentary vote. However, Zardari visited the politically influential province last month in an effort to reclaim the ground it had lost to the PML-N.

Political pundits viewed the PPP co-chairman’s new-found love of Punjab as the PPP’s reawakening to political realities, as the country gears up for parliamentary polls next year.

“This is my promise to you that the next prime minister will be from [the] PPP,” Zardari said while addressing a big public gathering at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on the occasion of the 38th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.



"Like I managed to have the party’s nominee to be the Senate chairman despite lacking a simple majority, I promise you that soon we will have our prime minister too.”

Without naming any institution, the former president said: “I want to tell those who killed Bhutto that the PPP was neither afraid of them in the past, nor will it be in the future.”

Quoting from Bhutto’s book, he said, “If I am assassinated, then who will take care of Pakistan,” adding, “Shaheed Mohtarma [Benazir Bhutto] despite well aware of the consequences came back to Pakistan for its people.”

Bhutto was denied justice and sent to the gallows just because he loved the people of Pakistan, Zardari said.

Taking a jibe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he remarked: “I have been in Punjab for just 15 days and the political situation for the Ballaywallay [PTI] and Sherwallay [PML-N] have turned worst.”

“This is not all. Now, I will visit each and every division and district of Punjab and wake up party workers.”

He said the PPP has the vision and the philosophy of Bhutto, with a programme for the poor masses.

Talking about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the PPP co-chairman said the project was initiated by the PPP but “Mian Sahab is trying to take its credit.”

“He (Nawaz) also tries to take the credit of the nuclear programme that was a gift from Bhutto to the people of Pakistan,” he added.

Strongly condemning the federal government, Zardari said: “On the one hand the price of electricity is very high, while on the other hand, it is not available.



“Besides, we are also facing acute shortage of water,” he added.

Talking about the verdict in the Panamagate, he said: “We are waiting for its verdict,” adding, “Let’s see what comes out of it.”

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in his address, asked people, “Why was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto hanged? Why was the spokesperson of the Islamic world hanged? Why was the guardian of the poor hanged?

“Even today, people keep asking the reason behind the judicial murder of Bhutto.”

Then he himself answered, saying: “I think his (Bhutto’s) crime was that he loved the people and made them powerful, besides implementing an independent foreign policy.”

Bilawal lamented that neither Bhutto, nor his heirs were dispensed justice. “Bhuttos inherited sacrifices,” he said, asking, “How long will you keep killing Bhuttos?”

“Bhutto is the name of an ideology – not a person.”

“Forty years ago, a dictator toppled Bhutto’s government and sown the seeds of atrocities and religious extremism and even today people are reaping its consequences,” he said.

Criticising the PML-N government, the young Bhutto said: “It is running the government without any economic or foreign policy.

“As far as the policy on terrorism is concerned, despite the lapse of two years nothing has changed,” Bilawal said, adding, “We need military courts because the National Action Plan is not implemented.”

“I demanded of the PML-N government to initiate operation against terrorists in Punjab, and now they have accepted my demand.”

“The PML-N leaders don’t have the capability to take right decisions at right time,” he said, adding, “They care least about NAP, rather their energies are diverted towards saving the money they have stashed through corruption. They are not worried about [the failure of] NAP, but more concerned about the outcome of the Panama Papers case.”

Talking about recent visits of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Sindh, Bilawal said: “He (PM) comes to conquer Sindh and holds a public gathering in a tent used for marriage parties.

“During his speech the PM made some promises to the people. I want to remind Mian Sahab that you had promised a grant of Rs2 billion for the people of Thar during your visit to Mithi two years ago, but that promise remains a mere promise.”

Strict security measures were in place inside and outside the venue, with around 7,000 policemen, lady constables, commandos and Rangers personnel deployed.

Meanwhile, addressing a public gathering on the premises of the Mazar, PPP-Shaheed Bhutto chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto strongly condemned the politics of loot and plunder, saying, “Bhutto's politics was based on an ideology and revolved around the poor masses.”

Criticising the wrong policies of the rulers, she said: “Today, people have been subjected to worst poverty, joblessness and ever-rising inflation.

Also, the Central Executive Committee of the PPP, which met at Naudero House with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the chair, demanded that the stalled proceedings in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s judicial murder reference be started to correct history.