KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party has decided to reinvigorate the party by organising a public meeting at the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on Oct 18 — the day when the homecoming caravan of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was attacked in twin blasts on Sharea Faisal — to be addressed by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

The decision was announced by former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after the PPP core committee met here at Bilawal House on Monday. The meeting was presided over by chairman Bhutto-Zardari and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

At the media briefing, Mr Gilani was accompanied by members of the core committee including ex-premier Raja Pervez Ashraf, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majid, Gilgit & Baltistan Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, additional secretary general Mian Raza Rabbani, all presidents and general secretaries of the PPP provincial chapters and central committee member Sherry Rehman.

Oct 18 refreshed the memory of tremendous sacrifices given, besides by PPP leadership, by hundreds of party activists and sympathisers for the sake of democracy, said Mr Gilani.

He said the meeting decided that PPP chairman Bhutto-Zardari would carry the mission of democracy forward from Karsaz, where hundreds of supporters of democracy had been killed in bomb attacks in 2007, and lead the caravan from the front following in the footsteps of slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto to accomplish her mission of the country’s solidarity and strengthening democratic institutions.

In reply to a question, Mr Gilani said the PPP was not just an opposition party but also a responsible one. “Our role is that of a responsible opposition as we don’t want the vision of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto about democracy, press freedom, judiciary and democratic institutions be harmed. We’ve pledged to take their vision and heritage along,” he said.

The PPP was elected by the people of Pakistan to form governments in Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan despite repeated attacks on and threats to party leaders, election candidates and activists, said Mr Gilani. “Our party has a majority in the Senate, too,” he added.

In reply to another question, he said the main problem being faced by Pakistan was extremism and terrorism.

In Multan’s by-election, he said, the party would support its own candidate, Dr Javed Siddiqui, while Javed Hashmi who still claimed to be PTI president might get PML-N support.

He rejected the impression, if any, of having been influenced by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf meetings and sit-ins when he said Imran Khan had his party manifesto and politics of sit-ins and public meetings. “The PPP has nothing to do with such politics, because we have a long history of struggle and sacrifices for the restoration of democracy, press freedom and the independence of the judiciary,” said Mr Gilani.

Raja Pervez Ashraf said Oct 18 was a black day in the history of Pakistan. He said whenever elections were called, conspiracies were hatched to defeat the party by those who did not like to see democracy in the country. Yet the PPP became a phenomenon with the untiring struggle of one generation after another who gave unmatched sacrifices, he said.

He said the PPP had only 141 seats out of the 172 seats required to form a government, but it succeeded in completing its five-year term despite facing numerous challenges. “Now the people of Pakistan have to take the decision which party can run the affairs of the country in a better way,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2014