Bilawal vows to resolve Balochistan, Sindh’s water woes

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday vowed to resolve the water woes of Sindh and Balochistan once his party returns to power.

Addressing a political gathering held in Tamboo Tehsil of Balochistan’s Naseerabad district, the PPP chief blamed other governments for the water scarcity in Sindh and Balochistan. He said, “We do not beg anyone, rather we are demanding our rights, and we know how to snatch back our rights.” He equated the resolution of Balochistan’s water woes to the same in Sindh.

He said that nobody has been oppressed as much as the people of Balochistan, but their patriotism remains intact. He contrasted this with his family’s legacy, and how they continue to raise slogans for the betterment of Pakistan. He said that his party has always served the people of Pakistan. “When Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gave free agricultural land to poor farmers across the country, he also distributed 500,000 acres of agricultural land among the farmers of Naseerabad, and the foundation of the water supply infrastructure in the areas was also laid by him,” he added.

He highlighted how his mother, Benazir Bhutto, had given the call for a sit-in at the Sindh-Punjab border when an attempt was made to damage the lower riparian of the River Indus. He also mentioned how his mother used to talk about providing better facilities to the people of Nasirabad, saying that “we will fulfill this dream”.

He said that if PPP can build world-class hospitals like NICVD, SIUT, and Gambit Institute in Jacobabad, Larkana, Sukkur and Gambat and adjoining areas of Naseerabad, then it can also provide free healthcare in Naseerabad. He also said that once the system is set up, the people would not need any health card.

Highlighting how 70 per cent of Naseerabad’s population lives below the poverty line, the said that his party had previously worked for poverty eradication. He contrasted this with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s policies have led to an increase in poverty and inflation. He elaborated that while his party’s founder called for the provision of “bread, cloth, and housing”, Prime Minister Imran is “snatching” the same from the people. He added that the premier has “robbed the people’s vote, stomach, and pockets”.

Calling the premier a “puppet” and challenging the government, the PPP chief said that he wanted to tell the “regime” that “PPP has now entered the political arena”. Announcing a “war against the selected”, he appealed to the youth of Balochistan for support. “I am also young like them, angry and have suffered a lot, but the solution to all the problems is in democracy,” he said. “We will struggle together, we believe in the power of the vote, not the weapon, give me a chance, trust the People’s Party.”

He said that his party believes in federalism, and if they are given a chance, they will Balochistan its due rights. Bilawal said that the people have lost confidence in the incumbent government and it is time for the parliament to do the same. He said that it would be the “revenge of democracy” to defeat the “selected government” in a democratic manner in the same National Assembly (NA) that gave it power.

Regarding the upcoming anti-government march, he said that PPP is ready to go ahead with the agenda it has been working on and would be leaving Karachi for Islamabad on February 27. “It is time for the selected government to be scared and to present its justifications,” he added. During the rally, Sardar Ghulam Rasool Umrani, a local political figure, formally announced that he has joined the party.
 

K-P local bodies polls

Separately, Bilawal requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to approach the Supreme Court (SC) against the postponement of the second phase of local body elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). In a statement, he said that the commission should approach the apex court for immediate elections. He claimed that Prime Minister Imran was “running away” from the polls after failure in the first phase by postponing them under the guise of weather.

He added that PTI would not be given a chance to escape the polls, and the people of K-P will continue to take account of the premier’s “corruption” and “incompetence”.