KARACHI/HYDERABAD: Led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Tuesday launched its Caravan-i-Bhutto — a two-day train journey from Karachi to Larkana. The caravan was originally aimed to coincide with the April 4 death anniversary of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but it’s largely believed that the party is using the activity to strengthen its anti-government campaign.

This perception was reinforced when the party chairman in his addresses to workers at different stations targeted the federal government’s policies, alleged rigging in the 2018 general election, criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking ‘U-turns’ and questioned the effectiveness of the operation against extremist elements.

Addressing a large and charged crowd at Karachi Cantt Station before embarking on a special train with senior leaders and hundreds of workers, the PPP chairman was confident that the caravan would help strengthen democracy.

PPP chairman to address party workers at 25 different locations before reaching his final destination

“The government is using the law which was introduced by dictator Musharraf to victimise his political opponents,” he said, amidst a roar from the crowd. “Do they think that the grandson of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will get scared with these tactics? Would they silence us through such cheap moves? Would they stop us from raising voice? Never! It can never happen. We didn’t bend before the dictators — Zia and Musharraf; how can we compromise with this puppet government? Let’s be there in Larkana on April 4 to send a loud and clear message about the future of this country.”

While speaking to the crowd, he asked the people to attend the April 4 rally in Larkana in large numbers to send a message to “anti-democracy forces”.

Before the journey began, the PPP chairman was welcomed amidst party slogans by hundreds of charged workers, who were dancing to the tune of party songs.

The atmosphere further electrified when the PPP chairman, defying all security protocols, stood in the gate of a compartment, waved to workers and even shook hands with many of them.

Sindh minister and senior PPP leader Saeed Ghani said the party chairman would address his supporters at 25 different locations before reaching his final destination.

“The party has booked the train using its own money,” he said. “We are peaceful and only using our democratic and constitutional rights for a political activity. If the federal government attempts to interfere during this journey, the PPP will deal with it accordingly.”

Aggressive tone

As the train moved to other Sindh districts and made a stopover at different stations, the PPP chairman maintained his aggressive tone against Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government. Addressing a large crowd at Jungshahi railway station, Mr Bhutto-Zardari contended that “anti-democracy forces” would never succeed in their “nefarious designs to eliminate the party of the downtrodden”.

“In fact, they used all ugly tactics to obstruct his [Zulfikar Ali Bhutto] grandson from contesting elections,” he said. “Our camps in Larkana and Lyari came under bomb attacks, our workers were threatened and pressurised and 54 activists went missing during the campaign, but they could not succeed in their designs. The establishment could not succeed through NAB while implicating our workers and leaders in false cases.”

Later at the Kotri station, the PPP chairman alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan first “robbed” Sindh of Rs120 billion and then opted to victimise activists and leaders of the opposition parties to strengthen his grounds through undemocratic means.

“In the name of accountability, political victimisation continues. We will not allow anyone to decide the fate of Sindh. We and the people of Sindh will decide our fate,” he said and added that the government had offered an “NRO” to the banned organisations.

Shifting of trial to Rawalpindi criticised

Addressing a few thousand highly charged party workers at Hyderabad railway station, where he arrived from Karachi on his way to Larkana, Bilawal devoted most of his speech to the shifting of the trial in a case against him and other PPP leadership to Rawalpindi from Sindh.

He said anti-democracy forces had thought that by hanging Z.A. Bhutto they would do away with the PPP. But Bhutto didn’t take a U-turn on his principles. He preferred going to the gallows to compromising on his ideology, he remarked and said that likewise his mother and PPP leader Benazir Bhutto did not bow down before Zia and Musharraf.

“Even today they are still afraid of Z.A. Bhutto’s ideology and his thinking,” said the PPP chairman.

“Even the media faced censorship and I was not allowed to run my political campaign in the elections,” he said and added that till today Form-45 of the Malakand and Lyari constituencies were missing.

“We know Rawalpindi always becomes a ‘Karbala’ for the Bhuttos,” he said amid applause and asked the government “to desist from ridiculing the rule of law”.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that it was surprising that the chief justice cleared him of any crime, but in the written order the case was shifted to Rawalpindi. He said he respected the judiciary because the PPP believed in democracy as the latter strengthened democracy, but they would also raise voice if there was injustice.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2019