Shangla PPP’s stronghold: Bilawal Bhutto

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing a workers’ convention in Shangla on Thursday said that he is grateful to the Jiyalas for conveying to the world that the valley of Shangla is alive with the slogan of ‘Jiye Bhutto’.

Today too, the Jiyalas and brothers of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto are steadfast on her ideology to complete her incomplete mission.

The country is riddled with woes, be it the heightened polarisation in politics or the economic crisis which keeps on worsening. In this situation, the traditional politicians of the country are adamant on continuing the politics of hate, ego and division. They have made politics a means of carrying out personal vendetta instead of letting it be a platform for difference of opinion. They have no interest in solving the problems of the people. The ever-increasing inflation, poverty and unemployment is the most important issue for my brothers and sisters, but the least for our fellow politicians. The political parties of the country are not thinking of the people or the future of the country. “I would like to convey to the youngsters and students of the country that it is the PPP that has helped the country emerge from deep turmoil in the past, and today too is the sole party that can provide ‘Roti, Kapra Aur Makaan’, all while considering poverty and price-hike its opponents, not other political parties”, Chairman Bilawal said.

We have been fighting this war since three generations. We have learned how to be of service to the downtrodden masses through our elders, and this is our political training. We do not know the politics of name calling, TikTok or Gate no. 4. Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had said that political heaven is under the feet of the people. We do not wish to look towards anyone else, we trust the people of Pakistan. “I am the grandson of the person who gave us the slogan of “People are the source of all power’”, Chairman Bilawal said. He said that he does not ask anyone for help but the youngsters, elders, students, farmers and labourers of the country to support the PPP and change the fate of the country.

Addressing the youngsters, Chairman Bilawal asked them to learn about the difference in Shangla before and after Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. “Just as the people have now witnessed all the politicians of the country, I too have seen them closely”, Chairman Bilawal said. Their politics is deeply entrenched in hate and division. We have to introduce a new form of politics, with the people being the sole priority. We need to think about the progress of the labourers and farmers, not the elite class. The economy can no longer run just to benefit the elite, it has to benefit the poor. Chairman Bilawal said that he is the sole politician who has been doing politics since the age of 19. He has served as the youngest Foreign Minister of the country for 18 months, and his hands are clean of any wrongdoing. “It is extremely difficult to keep one’s hands clean in politics, and mine are devoid of the stains of corruption or the blood of the people”, Chairman Bilawal said. We have an entire plan to double the wages within 5 years. We proved in the past too that the PPP made the most increase in the wages of the people. Now too, we plan on reaching our target of doubling wages within 5 years, as this is the only way to combat poverty. This is not an unattainable feat, as we only need to provide the labourers and farmers with their rightfully earned income that they deserve. We should give them the same rates that we give international farmers.

Addressing the young population, Chairman Bilawal said that every politician promises employment, but the PPP’s record is testament of the fact that for us, it is not just a slogan but a fact. Cases were made against Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto by Nawaz Sharif’s Accountability Bureau and Saif ur Rehman for giving employment to the people. During a hearing, she was accused of providing employment to the people, to which she responded by saying that “If providing employment to the people is crime, I am willing to commit it again and again”.

Chairman Bilawal said that the PPP will initiate projects based on public-private partnership as it has done successfully in Sindh so that the people can progress. We will hold the investors accountable for the happiness and wellbeing of the labourers. Youngsters who were told that they would attain jobs and be able to support their families after acquiring education, are now being pushed from pillar to post for employment. Providing employment to the youngsters in the country or abroad is the responsibility of the state. The PPP is going to come to power, and we introduced the BISP in the past to support the poorest of women in the country financially. This time, we are working on providing a ‘Youth Card’ to the youngsters, so that the process of getting employment is made easier. Chairman Bilawal said that the most difficult time for the youngsters is when they have attained degrees but do not have the experience to bag jobs. This is why, through the ‘Youth Card’ we are going to provide them with paid internships, as well as a stipend along with a one-year experience, Chairman Bilawal expressed his resolve. Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had provided a plethora of opportunities for the youth, and we are going to follow his footsteps by providing vocational and language training so that our youngsters can work all over the globe if they wish to do so.

Addressing the women of the country, Chairman Bilawal said that his mother is no longer alive but he wishes to serve the women of the country just as a son would. He said that the women of the country supported Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and created history by making her the first woman prime minister in the Islamic world. They know how difficult it is to run the household and the kitchen during this time. Chairman Bilawal said that he is aware of the difficulties and will solve the issues of the women by not only expanding the BISP but also providing employment to his sisters. We have always believed in women’s empowerment, Chairman Bilawal said. Two-thirds of the country was submerged in water after catastrophic floods, and we promised the flood victims that we would provide them with homes. Now, two million houses are being made for them and the ownership of the land is being given to the women to provide them with an asset that is of use to them. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa too faces floods every now and then, but the flood victims are paid no heed. We will bring our ‘Apna Zameen, Apna Ghar’ project to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and compensate for the suffering of the flood victims of the past too, Chairman Bilawal stated.

Chairman Bilawal said that the onus of putting an end to the traditional politics of hate and division, while establishing a ‘rule of the people’, is on the people themselves. They should support the party of the martyrs and the symbol of the arrow to complete the incomplete mission of Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The series of the PPP’s conventions will continue and the PPP will triumph. The rest can continue with their politics of hate, but the Jiyalas, workers and office bearers of PPP should take our message and manifesto to every doorstep.