MULTAN: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that right-wing politics is being practised in the country which is based on capitalism but his party is doing the politics for the masses.

Bilawal, who is on a three-day visit to Multan, addressed party workers at peoples’ secretariat here on Sunday. “PML-N and PTI are two sides of one coin and are doing the politics for the rich.”

“The politics of crony capitalism is being practised. There is no difference between the politics of PTI and PML-N as both parties have same manifesto, politics and economy. The only difference is that one party wants to see Nawaz Sharif and other [to] Imran Khan as prime minister,” he said.

Bilawal said the peoples’ secretariat was set up in Multan while keeping in view the establishment of new province.“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto distributed the lands of feudals among the [landless] farmers by introducing reforms while they [PML-N] are going to sell the national institutions like PIA and Pakistan Steel Mills to their cronies. The steel mills was established by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto while PIA once was the best airline of the world,” he said.

He spoke highly of Benazir Income Support Programme and soft loans scheme. He said if voted to power, the party would expand its programmes across the country.

“Your help is needed to expand this programme across the country as the media is biased and against us. Media does not highlight our achievements rather it prefers to promote PML-N and PTI. You should go door to door to inform the people about our achievements,” he said.

Bilawal said Multan always supported PPP.

“I congratulate and thank you for organising a historic public gathering of the party in Multan,” he said.

He urged workers to participate in party’s membership campaign to attract maximum members from the party supporters and masses. Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Nayyar Bukhari, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Natasha Daultana, Haidar Zaman Qureshi, Khwaja Rizwan Alam, Shaukat Basra, Abdul Qadir Shaheen and other prominent figures were present on the occasion.

Bilawal also visited the residence of party’s former member of central executive committee Malik Altaf Khokhar.

He also presided over a meeting of PPP south Punjab office-bearers of different wings. The meeting discussed the next general elections. He emphasised that all the party cadres and workers in south Punjab should be mobilised to play a vibrant role in the election campaign.

Meanwhile, talking to media at the residence of PPP district president Malik Altaf Khokhar, he said: “The 18th amendment can’t be repealed, however efforts are being made to undermine it.”

He said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbai should not abuse the parliament over a defeat in an election.

He said: “The tax amnesty scheme is not a positive move.”

Addressing the party workers at the residence of former MPA Nazim Shah, the PPP chairman said Imran Khan is the extension of Nawaz Sharif.

“How the person who cannot control his tongue will control the country,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2018