LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday invited all estranged old guards and other leaders to return to the party fold and join in the ongoing struggle for democracy.

“I invite all those who had been part of PPP during the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto to join hands with us in our struggle for democracy,” he said while speaking to party workers in Madina Colony, a locality in Larkana city, on Sunday.

Switching his mass contact campaign to the popular “awami style” introduced first by his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in local politics, Mr Bhutto-Zardari visited several union councils of Larkana to meet lower-cadre activists and local people, seemingly taking them by surprise.

He told a gathering of party workers and supporters in the colony that he had now decided to meet workers within their respective UCs, instead of arranging such meetings at Bilawal House and Naudero House.

Starts meeting the general public in ZAB’s ‘awami style’

He described the party’s organisational setups at UC level as effective and active, and said: “jiyalas should gear up the party’s struggle”.

“I am personally visiting every nook and corner of the country to convey the message of Bhuttoism,” he said

He told the audience that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had given houses to people but [Prime Minister] Imran Khan rendered them shelterless. Benazir Bhutto gave employment to people but the PM rendered them jobless, he added.

Fida Hussain and Baqar Jalbani highlighted the issues being faced by residents of the UC and apprised the PPP chairman of the status of the development schemes being executed in the area.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari asked the accompanying ministers — Syed Sardar Shah, Nasir Hussain Shah and Zia Abbas Rizvi — to look into the issues and get them resolved. MNA Naseeba Channa and Aijaz Jakhrani were also present at the gathering.

The PPP chairman also met the party’s Sindh president, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, MNA Khursheed Junejo, MPA Ganhwar Isran, Burhan Chandio, Nida Khuhro, Dr Sakina Gaad and other leaders at the residence of Jamil Soomro to discuss political situation in the province and progress of various development schemes.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari directed them to remain in touch with party workers and other people, accelerate their mass contact campaign and get their problems solved at their doorsteps.

He also called for ensuring continuity of all development works in Larkana. Addressing a gathering of selected party workers at the residence of Zulfikar Brohi in UC-1, he said they had to play an important role in the prevailing conditions in the country. In this regard, he referred to price hike, bad governance and other issues.

The workers at the gathering apprised him of a host of issues pertaining to development works, education, water, drainage and civic problems. They also put forward their suggestions to resolve them. The PPP chairman asked the ministers concerned to respond to people’s queries and take measures to address their issues.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari during his visits to various localities offered his condolences to Mohammed Ali Narejo, Maula Bakhsh Soomro, Sajjad Rind, Ashiq Chandio, Shahid Ali Kalhoro and Amir Ali Magsi on the death of their close relatives.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2021