LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has hinted at the possibility of ousting the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government through no-confidence motion and said all member parties of Pakistan Democratic Movement will be convinced to use this option and reach consensus on the issue.

Bilawal said at an inauguration ceremony for newly-established Sindh Industrial Trading Estate near Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University on Airport Road in Arija town near here on Friday that the no-confidence move could be tabled against the “selected” prime minister and speaker.

He said that his party had launched movement against the PTI government from the PDM platform and vowed to send the “inept and incompetent” government packing through constitutional, democratic and legal options.

He said that it was inevitable for “puppets” to quit in favour of a pro-people government. “Our future is bright. We have potential to be a true peoples’ representative government,” he said.

He criticised PTI government’s policies for industrialists and business community and claimed that the federal government used danda (stick) and treated them like criminals while recovering taxes. In contrast, he said, PPP did not believe in strong-arm tactics for tax collection nor did it treat the business community as criminals. “We lend support to industrialists and businessmen and take care of the poor labourers as well,” he said.

Inaugurates industrial estate near Larkana

He said that when all democratic forces decided to deal decisive blow, the puppets would go home and peoples’ representatives would replace them. “We need peoples’ representatives and not puppets,” he said.

“We don’t see 10 million jobs and five million houses for people as promised by the PTI leaders before election,” he said and referred to recently inaugurated labour houses in Sukkur by Sindh government.

He said that PPP was a big obstacle for the prime minister. PPP leadership was targeted through media and National Accountability Bureau but “we know how to fight against such conspiracies and we know how to drive out undemocratic regimes”.

Bilawal said that Sindh chief minister had raised the issues of the province’s right on gas, 18th Amendment, National Finance Commission Award and islands at all forums.

He said that this industrial estate had a strategic location as it happened to be near the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s route passing through Ratodero-Khuzdar. It would surely help it progress by leaps and bounds and it would be quite encouraging for the business and trading communities, he said.

He said that this project had been on paper since long but they had realised the plan and now businessmen and industrialists should join hands to establish indigenous industries there. Larkana’s rice and guava were famous across the world and growth opportunities in this sector could be tapped for progress, he said.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that this site was first spotted by Asif Ali Zardari for an industrial estate and referred to industrial zone in Khairpur district and progress in different sectors in the province.

He slammed federal government for increasing power rates and said that under Article 158 priority in gas use was to be given to residents of the area that produced the gas. The issue of gas would be taken up before the prime minister in a meeting scheduled for Jan 27, he said.

He said that he had also written to the prime minister in this regard. Establishment of indigenous industries would be given first priority in this estate, he added.

He said in answer to a demand that his government would work on getting this estate declared as special economic zone. Once it was done it would have facilities like tax holidays and other incentives and only bona-fide investors should be allotted plots in this industrial estate.

Sindh Minister for Trade, Industries and Anti-corruption Jam Ikramullah Dharejo said that this industrial estate would generate tremendous job opportunities and help industrial growth. Every district should have an industrial zone like this and it should have 10 years of tax exemption.

Earlier, Bilawal along with the chief minister inaugurated the industrial estate, which had been established at a cost of Rs1,366.420 million and consisted of 94 plots for industries and 20 for commercial purposes where establishment of agro-based industries would be encouraged.

Representatives of chambers of commerce and industry of Larkana, Nawabshah, Shikarpur, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Nooriabad and SITE associations of Superhighway, Karachi and Hyderabad, the Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association and PPP leaders attended the ceremony.

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister for Universities and Boards Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Jam Inamullah Dharejo and secretaries of industries and trade also spoke at the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2021