Bilawal to launch election campaign from K-P

Party leaders say PPP chairman to address gatherings in three districts

PESHAWAR: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is expected to start his election campaign from the province ‘soon’ by addressing a large public gathering.

This was claimed by a cohort of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) female leaders while addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday.



The PPP Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Women’s Wing President Nighat Orakzai and the party’s provincial information secretary Senator Robina Khalid highlighted that Bilawal will be contesting the upcoming general elections from the NA-8 constituency.

While shying away from giving a definitive date for the public gathering or providing a schedule of his visit, the PPP women leaders said that Bilawal was expected to address gatherings in three districts of the province including Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan and possibly Malakand.

When asked about why the party had delayed the release of its manifesto, Orakzai and Khalid explained that Bilawal was monitoring the drafting process, reviewing and refining every aspect after consultation with experts and is expected to be launched in the federal capital on Wednesday.

They added that the PPP did not believe in tall-claims based on lies.

They recalled the efforts of the party during their five years in power, including changing the name of the province from North West Frontier Province to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, devolution of provincial autonomy and others.

Expressing their concern over the tussle among women in other parties for tickets, they urged the media to avoid character assassination, particularly of women candidates.

We have our own traditions, in which women are held in high esteem instead of being disrespected they stressed

Orakzai also expressed her reservations over the election commission, who she accused was not considering their repeated demands over violation of the code of conduct by other political parties especially on unfurling oversized banners and hoardings.

“Secretaries of different government departments should be replaced with all the Officers on Special Duty (OSD) so that free, fair and transparent could be ensured,” they demanded.



Criticising the provincial government of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), they said that Peshawar was once called ‘the city of flowers’ which had been ruined by the PTI for launching the unnecessary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) while key and urgent issues such as sewerage systems and potable water were ignored.

“The BRT project is just to grease the palms of PTI leaders, nothing else,” they alleged.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2018.