• Takes dig at Nawaz, Imran for their style of politics
• Insists nation’s fate should not be left to two people

QUETTA: The time has come to let citizens decide the future of Pakistan, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Friday, highlighting the urgency of public involvement in the country’s political, economic and social spheres.

“I know how elections are conducted. But I also know that when the people of Pakistan wake up, no one can stop them,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said in a speech delivered to the Balochistan High Court Bar Association in Quetta.

He expressed his deep em­­pathy for the hardships faced by the people of Balochistan, drawing parallels with his personal experiences of loss.

“I also suffered from this tragedy, losing my near and dear ones,” he said.

Highlighting that the general election was around the corner, he raised questions about the current political options available to voters.

In a thinly veiled reference to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, the PPP chairman said: “We are being told that the one who became prime minister three times will now take the helm for the fourth time and get the country out of trouble.”

He then took a dig at PTI Chairman Imran Khan, criticising him for his approach to handling critical issues like the Hazara protests and the missing persons, urging the people not to allow history to repeat itself. “I know that when the people and the youth take a decision, no power in the world can reverse it,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said.

“I request you to surprise them all on Feb 8 (when the elections are scheduled), use your voting power, come out in large numbers, and don’t leave the fate of the country to two people,” he said, referring to Mr Sharif and Mr Khan.

The PPP chairman clarified that he was not against the old age of these two leaders, but their politics.

“You can adopt a new style of politics for this country even when you are old, and you can be interested in the same old style of politics even when you are young,” he said. “We will bury the politics of hate, ego and division and move forward.”

Mr Bhutto-Zardari also tou­ched upon the issue of missing persons in Balochistan, exp­ressing solidarity with the victims’ families and questioning the ongoing violence in the region.

He mentioned PPP’s efforts for the province during the tenure of former president Asif Ali Zardari, including initiatives like Aghaz-i-Haqooq-i-Balochistan, the Eighteenth Amendment and the National Finance Commission Award.

Highlighting the successes of PPP-led initiatives in Sindh, including the Thar coal project and other development schemes, Mr Bhutto-Zardari showcased his party’s commitment to economic and social advancement.

He said that Tharparkar was presented as Africa in the past, but now women in the region were working as engineers and truck drivers on the Thar coal project.

Friday’s meeting was attended by Balochistan High Court Bar Association Presi­dent Afzal Harifal and notable political figures like Changez Jamali, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Rozi Khan Kakar and Syed Agha Zahoor Agha.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2023