Bilawal Bhutto waves at the crowd during a gathering organised by a minority wing. PHOTO: INP
In his first speech after his political launch in October 18 last year, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday announced he would now lead the party.
“I want to tell those living in fool’s paradise that the PPP is not over, neither will it be finished. It will rather flourish because after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) and his daughter Benazir Bhutto, I will now lead it by hoisting its flag,” Bilawal said while addressing a rally in connection with National Minorities’ Day at Bilawal House.
He said the misconception that the PPP was dead was also spread when PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged and his daughter Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. However, he said, the party flourished and later ruled the country.
Read: Bilawal to visit every district, constituency to address grievances of party leaders
Bilawal, who was flanked by the PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Minorities Minister Gianchand Esrani, said that some elements wanted to instil fear in the PPP’s ranks by sending ‘the bodies of our loved ones’. “But they don’t know that we have inherited martyrdom,” he said, adding that the ‘nefarious designs’ and conspiracies being hatched against the PPP would be foiled.
The event that was organised by the PPP minority wing, and leaders of minorities, elected representatives and a large number of party workers from Karachi and other districts were in attendance.
Condemning extremists, the young PPP chief said his party believed that irrespective of religion or faith, all citizens of this country were Pakistanis. “We should be proud of being Pakistanis whether we are Muslims, Christians or believers of some other faiths,” he said.
Referring to the Constitution of Pakistan and its architect, Bilawal said that during the Constitution-making process, ZAB had furthered the vision of the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as envisaged in his August 11 speech. “In the speech, the Quaid-e-Azam had said that the basis of Pakistan will not be religion,” Bilawal said.
The PPP chairperson said his party had not divided people on the basis of their faiths or ethnicities. “Despite the ups and downs, we stand by our principles and a strong manifesto for dispensation of democracy and rule of law and this will continue,” he added.
Read: PPP hope for ‘new Pakistan’, says Bilawal
Bilawal said his grandfather was assassinated because he stood for the rights of the poor and was against discrimination on the basis of religion and ethnicity. “The elements which were trying to create a rift on the basis of these differences eliminated him for vested interests,” he said.
In his book, ZAB wrote that after his death ‘they’ would divide the people on the basis of region and ethnicity, Bilawal said, adding that his late mother, Benazir Bhutto, also pursued the same ideology and was also killed by these elements. “I want to tell these elements that you are mistaken. I will foil these conspiracies by giving you a historic defeat and upholding the mission of ZAB for democratic values,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2015.
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