Bilawal announces to prepare for long march
GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH
Former President and PPP co-Chairman Asif Zardari announced Tuesday that both he and his son, the party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will contest elections and be part of current Parliament.
“I will take part in election from constituency NA-213 whereas Bilawal Bhutto will contest from Ayaz Soomro’s constituency NA-204 (Larkana),” he stated this while addressing gathering of PPP workers at Garhi Khuda Bux marking 9th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. Besides, central leaders of PPP, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh cabinet members, MNAs, MPAs attended the party gathering.
Asif Ali Zardari said that he would contest the election from Nawabshah for the seat currently held by Azra Fazal Pechuho, and that Bilawal would contest the election from Larkana for Ayaz Soomro’s seat. “We have sacrificed much for the sake of democracy and politics to save Pakistan. We will not leave this Mughal emperor [to rule,” Zardari said.
The former president hit out at the premier. “Mian [Nawaz Sharif] Sahab we gave you this democracy as a sacred trust. We made every decision with your input. We made decisions in Parliament through consensus. It is a pity that you seem to have forgotten all your promises today,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned the government of the party’s preparations for a ‘long march’. “Principally we have decided that we have to start preparing for a long march,” Bilawal announced. “I will begin making visits around the country to get my four demands met.” However, he said, the party has yet to debate the matter in its Central Executive Committee meeting.
The PPP leader had earlier threatened the government that the party would launch a long march on Dec 27 if the government failed to meet the PPP’s four demands.
The party’s four demands include passage of the draft Panama bill, immediate appointment of a permanent foreign minister, reconstitution of the parliamentary committee on national security and implementation of the resolution on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passed by a multiparty conference.
Thousands of PPP workers and supporters in caravans reached Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Naudero and Larkana from different parts of the country to pay their tributes to their leader. Security in and around the stage, the mausoleum and near the main parking area in Naudero was beefed up with special commandos and police officials deployed along the roads and main entrance points.
“We have sacrificed much for the sake of democracy and politics to save Pakistan. We will not leave this Mughal emperor [Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif] to rule,” Zardari continued.
The former president hit out at the premier. “Mian [Nawaz Sharif] Sahab we gave you this democracy as a sacred trust. We made every decision with your input. We made decisions in Parliament through consensus. It is a pity that you seem to have forgotten all your promises today,” he said.
Zardari also demanded that the Supreme Court decision on Panamagate be brought to the floor of the Parliament and be vetted by all political parties.
“We would like to see you and your judges go down in history as respectable individuals, not as people who twist the law for their own gains,” he added.
“This is our right. We will protest, exercise our democratic right and go to the parliament. Go to the courts and the bar councils, and talk about what is happening and what should be happening,” Zardari said.
Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has announced on Tuesday to have begun preparations for long march against the government after not a single demand out of the four tabled by the political party earlier were met.
In his address on 9th death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal said that the mindset that Benazir had fought against all her life is still there and needed to be eradicated.
Terrorism has not been completely tackled, he said.
Bilawal announced to address rallies and lead protests across the country to get PPP’s four demands fulfilled by the government. He said that after Benazir’s assassination, the country was vulnerable to division but Asif Ali Zardari saved the state and the political party.
He said that he wishes to organise the political party in a fresh way. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has failed on almost every front, he claimed adding that he could not maintain silence over threats to national interests.
Bilawal asserted that the Interior Minister was threatening institutions instead of tendering his resignation after a report held the ministry responsible in Quetta’s Civil Hospital attack. Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan holds meetings with leaders of banned organisations and permits them to lead rallies, Bilawal alleged.
The government is protecting terrorists instead of the people of the country, he said adding that the premier would flee the country while the people would be left here to suffer.
He alleged the premier of favouring his terms when the world are making efforts to brand Pakistan a terrorist state. Chairman of PPP warned the government of protests if approval of accountability bill is hindered.
He announced to move to Supreme Court (SC) once the accountability bill is approved.
PPP is desirous of democratic accountability but the premier does not agree to the cause, Bilawal said. He said that history of judiciary in Pakistan is the scariest however, all the institutions would have to shoulder their responsibilities.
Bilawal rhetorically asked why legal case regarding founder of PPP, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s judicial killing has not been concluded till today.
Chief of PPP complained that the judicial system of Pakistan never provided justice to PPP but now it was time see whether Supreme Court (SC) would focus on interests of the country or not. Bilawal said that he would not keep silence when premier’s policies were allegedly leading Pakistan to isolation in the world.
Bilawal vowed to fight for the rights of the people and serve the nation as his introduction to parliamentary politics was announced today by former president and co-chairman of PPP, Asif Ali Zardari.
