Bilawal cautions against ‘elite hurdle’

PPP chief says his ambitious 10-point welfare package not a castle in the air

HYDERABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) leadership considers certain interest groups among the country’s elite as the most anticipated stumbling blocks in the way of implementing the party’s 10-point welfare manifesto, prepared for the upcoming polls.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari argued that his announcement at a public rally in Garhi Khuda Buksh on Wednesday night was is not shorn of a realistic strategy, stressing that he was not building castles in the air rather the party had prepared a roadmap to implement these plans.

“Do you know how much of your tax goes as subsidy to the rich, to the elite, Rs1,500 billion every year,” Bilawal said, while addressing a press conference in Sukkur. “They [elite] will start propaganda against our plans and your own news television channels will start a campaign,” he cautioned.

At the public gathering on the occasion of martyrdom anniversary of Benazir Bhutto in Larkana A day earlier, Bilawal had unveiled 10 goals which he elaborated would be their short-term targets if his party formed the federal government after February 8, 2024, elections.

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He insisted that his plan to increase salaries of the working class by 100% in five years, undertake renewable energy initiatives and to provide direct subsidies to the poor people, peasants, labours and youth was not his wishful thinking.

He reiterated that his party’s government would abolish 17 federal ministries which were supposed to be devolved to the provinces by 2015 in the light of the 18th Constitutional Amendment and “by doing so” will save Rs300 billion” annually.

He asserted that the PPP had prepared a roadmap for these plans. His another plan, which might ruffle the feathers of the interest groups of the elite, was to redirect the subsidy of Rs1,500 from the energy, fertiliser and other industries.

He believed that by redirecting these subsidies to the pockets of the poor people, labours, peasants and youth, would not only benefit millions of people, but it would also end up saving funds of the government. He promised to launch a programme to construct 3 million houses for the poor.

The PPP chairman argued that his announcement was not shorn of a realistic strategy, unlike the one promised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan. He said that Imran promised 5 million homes, but he could never explain how could he arrange the resources for the projects.

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On the other hand, Bilawal pointed out that he had already shared availability of around Rs1,800 billion funds. He contended that the PPP was going to implement its public welfare agenda on the basis of its experiences and accomplishments in Sindh.

He gave examples of establishing networks of quality healthcare hospitals in the province and kick-starting construction of 2 million houses along with ownership rights for the people affected by the torrential rains and floods in 2022.
Bilawal assured that like the PPP government in Sindh managed to secure $20 billion under the carbon credit funds by planting mangroves, its federal government would also obtain funds from the Loss and Damage Fund – an initiative of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“We have to build climate resilient houses, resilient infrastructure, resilient irrigation and small dams and the agriculture sector has to be made shock resistant,” he said, adding that the climate-triggered calamities had devastated the country on a far larger scale.

Commenting on the arrest of PTI’s leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Bilawal said mere condemnation of such arrests would not break the cycle of political victimisation. “When President Zardari was arrested and when Faryal Talpur was arrested from a hospital on the eve of Eid, Khan and Qureshi had said the action was taken by an independent institution. Can Qureshi say the same about his arrest today?”

He asserted that the PPP wanted to bury the old politics of hatred and division and that it wanted to embark on a new era of politics where political differences were not taken as enmity and the politicians did not turn into enemies of each other.

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“But in order to achieve this reconciliation, the PTI’s leaders will have to say Touba [seek divine forgiveness] and to apologise. We will have to accept past mistakes.” Bilawal alleged that some government officials who were part of the interim government but represented the interests of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) might be used to privatise the Pakistan International Airlines.

“The N-League doesn’t want to sell the PIA. They want to buy it.” He warned that if the privatisation was undertaken through the officials, who were perceived to be associated with the PML-N, the process would become controversial. He demanded of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to remove such officers from the caretaker government.
He argued that the perception about the PML-N for being part of the interim government through its “undeclared assets” is earning more dislike for the party from the people.
The PPP’s chairman expressed hope that his nomination form will sail through the process of scrutiny in Lahore, as the returning officers in Larkana and Qambar Shahdakot districts had already accepted his nominations.

He said he decided to contest from Lahore because the city deserved to have options of better leadership. “Lahore’s people should be given a choice, instead of imposing a politician for the fourth time over them or by bringing back the player, who will once again impose a Bozdar-like CM on them.”

He reiterated that his party’s position about seeking electoral alliance with other political parties was very clear. According to him, the PPP would fight elections on its own. However, the workers of other political parties who wanted to join the PPP were welcome to the party’s fold. He allowed the party’s leaders in Sindh, Punjab and other provinces to continue their negotiations with the workers in this regard.