Chairman FM Bilawal addresses PPP rally in Khwazakhela, Swat
Islamabad, JUN 17 /DNA/ – Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that it is a matter of great pride that he is standing in the valley of Swat and raising the slogan of ‘Jeay Bhutto’, especially with Dr. Haider Ali joining the Pakistan Peoples Party.
In the past four years, it is unfortunate that neither the PTI nor the government had the space for people who wanted to see their land, Swat prosper. In contrast, those who had materialistic aspirations would tag along with Imran Khan. Dr. Haider is a man who represented the people of Swat in the National Assembly and not once was he a part of those making hue and cry or abusing others, he was in the wrong party. The people of Swat are witness to how the PPP fought for them and when terror was imposed on the land, it was the PPP that strived to bring peace to the region. Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto accepted martyrdom for the sake of the country and was not once deterred just like the people of Swat by those spreading terror.
The PPP made the decision to wipe out all those who wished to colour the Swat valley red with blood. Our sacrifices and those rendered by the Police and Army led to the establishing of peace in the region. However, Khan brought back the very same terrorists who we had chased out. The people of Swat deserve tribute for taking to the streets to demand for peace and stability in their region. Today, we would like to reiterate that the PPP is standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Swat and will do whatever is possible to help the region progress. We are willing to work with Afghanistan on a bilateral level to bring economic prosperity in the region by realising the importance of peace and security. We need to extend the message of peace to the terrorists, to convince them to drop their weapons. We do not wish to hold another operation or initiate another war; the people have had enough of those and now deserve peace. However, we are not willing to bow before any terrorists for the sake of peace. We know that PPP and the people of Swat share the same sentiments as neither have surrendered before terrorism. We also need to put a stop to the newly introduced political terrorism. Each and every citizen of Pakistan condemns the tragedy of May 9. All stakeholders as well as political parties share the same views regarding this, which is to make an example out of the culprits. If they are forgiven once, then there would be no rule of law, government or democracy in the country. No other party compete with the PPP when it comes to the sacrifices it has rendered for the people, Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto preferred being sent to the gallows over comprising on the interest of the nation. Similarly, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had the opportunity to wreak havoc over General Zia’s government when she was welcomed by a record-breaking mammoth gathering, but she chose peace for her people and country.
I was 19 when Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was martyred, Chairman Bilawal said. Had we raised any other slogan at the time, or demanded for revenge by pointing towards the President House where Musharraf was sitting, the country would have burned to the ground. However, even at that time, we reiterated that democracy is the best revenge. Those who were brought into politics and supported for three decades by the umpire’s signals, declared war with the state after merely spending a night in prison.
The PPP believes that strict action should be taken against terrorists and political terrorists. The people of Swat know that whenever the common, poor people were taken care of, it was during the PPP’s rule. It was during the tenures of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma when the people of Swat attained ownership rights as well as employment. Quaid-e-Awam would give free passports to the youngsters and send them abroad to allow them to make a mark internationally. During the rule of President Zardari, similar principles were applied and people were given employment. The selected puppet however, did the opposite and snatched jobs from the people.
We believe that the economic situation is such that it is troubling every citizen. The PPP believes that its manifesto, one that is the manifesto of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is an asset that we have inherited and contains the answers and solutions to all the political challenges we face. We believe that the PPP is not competing with any other entity or political party, but with hunger, poverty, inflation and unemployment. The day that we eradicate these problems with the help of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s manifesto is not far.
We want for the new generation to support us in our mission to help the country prosper. The time has come for them to be given the opportunity, and if they avail it by supporting us, then no problem would ever be big enough. We need the support of politicians who feel for the people and actually wish to bring about change. The majority of the country’s population is constituted of youngsters and it is the PPP’s priority to integrate them into the decision-making process. In fourteen months, a young Foreign Minister has achieved what no other predecessor could. There is huge potential all over the world and we know just how willing the world is to work and cooperate with us. When we were combatting climate catastrophes, the world stood with us at a time when certain circles were predicting that it was too busy with the Russia-Ukraine conflict to pay us any heed. The world needs young people, it wants both low-skilled and high-skilled people, with the only condition of us stabilising ourselves. We will surely work together and strive to show our elders that when given the opportunity, youngsters can make the most of it. When a young politician had proposed to bring forth a no-confidence motion to drive out the selected puppet, it was met by scepticism by the elders but it is this very democratic path that proved to be successful.
The PPP is geared up for the elections and is ready to make history just as it did in the LG elections. We encourage our allies to prepare themselves and contest the elections so that the next government derives solutions to the problems faced by the people.
As far as the budget is concerned, the PPP sent its high-level committee members to the PM and his team, expressing that the budget contained little of the PPP’s input. The federal government had promised the world and provincial governments that it would match the funds spent on flood victims. Hence, we have approached our allies to make them understand that it is imperative that we look after the flood victims in our budget. We have no doubts over the intentions of the PM, as he witnessed the destruction with his own eyes. However, we would like to ask the PM to introspect within his team and hold those hindering this process accountable. We hope that the finance minister, Ishaq Dar and his team would address our concerns and work towards resolving them.
Chairman Bilawal urged the party workers to initiate the process for electoral campaigning as the PPP is ready to avail the opportunity to work towards the realisation of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s dream.
