GUJAR KHAN: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has described the recently passed finance bill as ‘selected’ and anti-public budget.

Speaking at a rally on Saturday, he criticised the government’s policies and claimed that another four million people were being pushed below the poverty line.

He said the price hike was going to wreck havoc with the country’s economy and the poor were being turned into homeless and helpless people.

Responding to slogans chanted by party workers against Prime Minster Imran Khan, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said the end of what he called puppet government was near and the rise of a new Bhutto would be there.

He said that leaders and workers of PPP were always punished for confronting dictators and oppressors.

PPP slams government for devaluation of the rupee and increase in prices of edibles, medicines, petroleum products and gas

The PPP chairman said his father Asif Ali Zardari faced jails and torture but never bowed before the dictators. He said the Bhuttos always stood for democracy and rights of the downtrodden and he would also stand for the restoration of ‘snatched rights of the poor people, peasants and youths’.

He criticised the government for increase in prices of edibles, medicines, petroleum products and gas and devaluation of the rupee. He termed the federal budget anti-Pakistan.

He said he called Imran Khan selected prime minister because he was selected as a cricketer at Oxford, he was selected for politics by Gen Hameed Gul, he was selected as a member of the National Assembly during the Musharraf regime and now he was selected as the prime minister.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he was starting his campaign against Imran Khan in Punjab right from Gujar Khan and said that this area had been a PPP stronghold since the days of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

He alleged that Punjab was being deprived of Rs240 billion in the budget.

He said acquittal of PTI leader Babar Awan and conviction of PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf in the Nandipur power project case by an accountability court was a clear message that those who joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were given a clean chit while those who refused to compromise were being convicted.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2019