Bilawal Bhutto announces anti-govt protests

Peshawar: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday announced protest demonstrations against the government for increasing petrol prices and creating a gas crisis in the country.

Addressing a mammoth public gathering in connection with the 54th Founding Day of PPP in Peshawar, he demanded of the government to leave the IMF programme which has made the people’s lives hell.

This is the first time that the PPP has observed its founding day in the KP province.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari congratulated the Jiyalas and the people of Pakistan for observing the Founding Day of a party that has always worked for the poor people of Pakistan. He said that PPP is the party of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, and the poor and downtrodden. He also remembered all those who sacrificed their lives for democracy in the country. Chairman PPP paid rich tribute to late Rahim Dad Khan who dedicated his life for the party and democracy. He said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa always supported Shaheed Quaid-e-Awam, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and President Zardari. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was in KP just a day before she was martyred. The people of KP will also not disappoint him as they never disappointed PPP leadership in the past, he said.

He said that the government did not want the gathering to take place here and the administration also erected hurdles but the brave Jiyalas held the gathering here in Peshawar despite that the permission was not given. Just a few days ago, the chief minister of KP wanted to hold a jalsa in the same place but was failed.

Our friends (PDM) also held a failed gathering here despite being constituted of several parties as this gathering has eclipsed that gathering. This is because the people have decided to support the party of martyrs and poor. The PPP was founded for the poor, for the rights of the poor, for human rights and for economic rights of the people. The PPP’s policies have been for the poor, labourers, growers, students, pensioners and the people of Pakistan. This is why the PPP leaders were supported by the people of Pakistan in the past and today they have proved that they are supporting the party of the people of Pakistan, Pakistan People’s Party.

At the time of Zardari’s government, there was the worst recession in the world, Pakistan had to deal with two floods and we were fighting the terrorists but because of his pro-poor and pro-people policies the country was growing and developing. Unfortunately after the PPP, all other government did not care about the people. This government made a deal with the IMF which is anti-people and the people are facing worst price-hike in the country. The people are troubled because of this government. Quaid-e-Awam had said that it is not the fate of the people to remain poor forever. Slogan for Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was “Benazir aaye gi, Razgar laye gi”. The PPP is the only party which always provides employment. This government is usurping your political and economic rights but the PPP is with the people and will defeat the nefarious designs of this government. This government has already announced to increase petrol prices which we reject. We demand of this government to come out of this anti-people IMF deal. This government wants the Sate Bank to become a slave of the IMF but we will not allow that to happen and will challenge it on the streets and in courts.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the EVM is another RTS and we reject elections with EVM. We will challenge it on the streets and courts. This government is playing a game in the name of overseas Pakistanis. These overseas Pakistanis are abroad working for their families and sending remittances to Pakistan because Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave people the right of passport and negotiated with the countries to provide employment to Pakistanis going abroad. We want the representation of the overseas Pakistanis in the parliament so that they can fight for their rights. How can a person vote in Paris or New York, but have his vote counted in Peshawar and Mardan? This is to dilute the vote of people living in Pakistan. This will not be allowed and the PPP will challenge this on the streets and in courts. Chairman PPP said that there are several conspiracies being hatched by this government. It wants to award NRO to the Indian spy, Kulbhushan Jadhev through parliament but we will challenge it.

Chair PPP said that KP is a province of brave people who fought and defeated terrorists and did the job which the super powers of the world could not do. Now this government is secretly negotiating with the killers of our citizens, our children including the children of APS, of our women, of our brave jawans of police, FC and the army. How can the government hold negotiations with them and reach a ceasefire? He said that there is an Islamic constitution in the country. We cannot negotiate with anyone who does not accept this constitution. Islam does not allow the killing of children. We demand them to handover the killers of our children, women, policemen and soldiers so that they could be presented before the courts and punished for their crimes. Only after that we will think whether to talk to the terrorists or not. How could the president and foreign minister hold secret talks with them? They do not have the permission of the people of Pakistan. They have no mandate in this regard. The government does not have the permission to negotiate.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that we want that the promises made to the people of former tribal areas to be fulfilled and we reject every effort to impose FCR under any pretext as we have rejected FCR. We reject the efforts to usurp the economic right of the tribal people. This failed government is playing with the future of Pakistani nation. The real face of the “change” of Imran Khan is historic poverty, unemployment and the price-hike. The only party which gives rights to labourers, growers and youth and students is the PPP. The PPP gave BISP and will also introduce cards for labourers and growers and provide projects for youth.

Chairman PPP said that the PPP will also win the local body elections. The PPP has always come to power by the support of the people. We do people’s politics. The ones who conspire release audio and video tapes. We believe in the power of the people. The history is with the PPP. The people who called Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari thieves and used to phone to sentence them for ten and twenty years and to confiscate their property are dealing with a similar situation now. We think that such telephone calls were wrong in the past and they are wrong now as well. Our slogan is still the same, “Maang raha hai har insaan, Roti, Kapra aur Makan” but “Cheen raha raha hai ab Kaptan, Roti, Kapra aur Makan”. Chairman PPP raised slogans with the people, ‘Thappe pe Thappa, Teer pe Thappa’. He asked people to vote for the PPP candidate, Arbab for the Mayor of Peshawar.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced to hold protest demonstrations in every city and town in Pakistan against the constant rise in petrol prices on 10 December.

On 17 December, the PPP will hold protest demonstrations in every district headquarter against the gas crisis throughout Pakistan. The martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto will be observed in a huge public rally in Garhi Khuda Bux on 27 December where the next phase of the protests will be announced.