RAWALPINDI: In his first-ever public meeting in Liaquat Bagh here on Friday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari portrayed a dismal state of democracy in the country and vowed to complete the mission of his slain mother former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

He lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government for depriving the poor of the basic needs and said the ruling party had in its recent move removed over 800,000 beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from its list declaring them “undeserving”, which was more than cruelty.

“The puppet government of political orphans is afraid of people and working to suppress real representatives of the people,” he said.

In response to the PPP chairman’s fiery speech, the charged party workers shouted slogans “Wazir-i-Azam Bilawal” and “Jeay Bhutto”. The PPP managed to show its strength in Punjab after many years and a large number of party workers and supporters participated in the public meeting.

Lashes out at PTI govt for depriving the poor of basic needs by removing over 800,000 beneficiaries from BISP; Zardari addresses Rawalpindi rally from hospital bed

The PPP chairman said Benazir Bhutto continued the struggle of her father former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, confronted two dictators and faced “selected” politicians and extremists, but despite all that she had provided rights to women, freed the media and prisoners and got missile technology for the country. However, he said, the country presently was also in danger and it was the duty of his party to complete the mission of Benazir Bhutto.

“Benazir was a chain of the federation, but her enemies hatched conspiracy to break the federation by assassinating her,” he said, adding that the country was in crisis and democracy in danger. “Parliament is locked, media is not free, there are attempts to end the 18th Amendment and the judiciary is not free.”

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said the terrorists might have been defeated but extremism was still haunting the country. Benazir Bhutto had vowed to hoist the Pakistani flag in Swat and the PPP government fulfilled her wish in its last tenure, but there was a need to work on ending extremism, he added.

Recounting his party’s achievements, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had given the country first Islamic and democratic constitution, made Pakistan a nuclear state, given voice to voiceless people and above all managed to give people right of vote.

But Gen Zia and his cronies did not see the development of the country and improved lifestyle of the common man and hatched conspiracy, he added. “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was assassinated in judicial murder. Benazir Bhutto raised the voice of Z.A. Bhutto and she was also martyred.”

Remembering his mother and grandfather, the PPP chairman said: “Every street of Rawalpindi, its walls and buildings and its land are witness to what happened to Benazir. Rawalpindi is witness to atrocities faced by Bhuttos and PPP workers. How people’s rule was ended. This city saw torture faced by jiyalas [PPP workers]. Four persons of a family were martyred — the father [Z.A Bhutto], his two sons and daughter.”

Mr Bhutto-Zardari vowed to restore people’s rule in the country once again. “Rawalpindi, stay witnessed for I will restore the power of the public, give rights to the youth and proper compensation to farmers for their efforts.”

He taunted the government for making claims about the detention of opposition politicians and said its claims proved false. “You said Mian sahab [Nawaz Sharif] will never go abroad for treatment. Mian sahab went abroad for medical treatment. You said [former] president Zardari will never come out of jail. He is out of jail now too.”

Mr Bhutto-Zardari urged the masses to support him in ousting “this government of selected and political orphans as people’s rule cannot be established without the PPP”.

Earlier, PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s speech was telecast on a screen. He gave his message to the party workers from hospital bed.

Mr Zardari lashed out at the PTI government and said the “selected and incompetent government” had no ability to run the government affairs. He said the present government had nothing to do with the problems being faced by the country’s poor. He expressed the hope that his son Bilawal would be able to solve these problems very soon and lead the country.

PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan said he was given time for speech before PPP chairman Bilawal which proved that the party was following the old traditions. He said that for the first time, Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary was observed at the site where she was assassinated, instead of Ghari Khuda Buksh, and the presence of a large number of people proved that the decision of the party was right.

Mr Ahsan said there was a need to follow the teachings and philosophy of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, Raza Rabbani, Sherry Rehman, Nayar Hussain Bukhari and other senior leaders also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2019