Bilawal Bhutto says Asma Jahangir a role model

Lahore: Chair Pakistan Peoples Party and the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in his keynote speech at the fourth annual Asma Jahangir Conference paying rich tributes to leading human rights activist Asma Jahangir said that Ms. Jahangir used to guide him from time to time. She was a role model not only for human rights activists but for him as well.

Chairman Bilawal said that in his view, if he had met Asma Jahangir after assuming the foreign minister’s office, the first question she would have asked him would have been, “Bilawal, did you become the foreign minister as a result of a deal with the “dangerous duffers?”. I would have answered no, absolutely not.

Chairman PPP said that not everything is rosy in Pakistan at the moment but we should note that the democratic forces and institutions have progressed. We should also work for more improvement. We should emphasise that we sent the former prime minister, Imran Khan home through a democratic process which was of the no-confidence motion. We should highlight this point. We have removed a PM who assumed power through undemocratic means by using the democratic path. Before this, prime ministers were either removed by being sent to the gallows, eliminated by bomb blasts, exiled, disqualified through courts or by orders from Gate no. 4.

Imran Khan was the first PM in the history of Pakistan who attacked the country’s economy to save his politics. The truth is that the criticism of all political parties on Imran Khan’s economic policies is on the record. However, we did not deem that Imran Khan would go to such an extent that he would harm the country’s economy. To play with the health of a country’s economy, to play Russian Roulette with it was tyrannical for the people and the country.

We saved Pakistan from default. Just as we helped the country emerge from the threat of default, we faced the biggest climate catastrophe, the likes of which we have never seen in our country. From Gilgit Baltistan to South Punjab, and from there to Balochistan and Sindh, every location has been impacted. The cameras are not there anymore hence the lack of recent viral videos, but our brothers and sisters who are the victims are still struggling from the floods. Thirty-three million is such a big number, it is hard to quantify. Thirty-three million people have been affected by the floods, that is 1 in every 7 Pakistani. One-third of Pakistan, when it comes to the land mass, has been affected which is more than the land mass of the UK and more than 95% of the population of Canada. It is unfortunate that what should be the main issue for politics, the media and everyone else is not the priority.

Right now, we have to not only help the victims, but also send a message worldwide that we are not at fault for the devastation that we are facing today. Pakistan contributes only 0.8% to the global carbon footprint as far as climate change is concerned, and we are the 8th most affected country in the world. This means that the cost of the industrialisation of the rich countries is being carried by our people. We believe that this is not just. This is why, not only are we raising awareness about climate change but are also demanding justice today from all the countries that have contributed to climate change. If we all unitedly combat the challenges posed by climate change, only then can we derive a solution for it. Today, Pakistan’s people have been impacted, tomorrow it will be another nation.

There is not the international, financial institutional infrastructure to fund the relief and rescue of thirty-three million people at once, and then the reconstruction and rehabilitation for those thirty-three million. We will make Pakistan a pilot project for when we begin the rehabilitation process, we will build back better and greener, in a more resilient manner. We will ensure that the local people are benefitted by this progress. This should not be a partisan issue. As far as the floods and their victims are concerned, all of Pakistan’s political parties have to form a consensus to battle this issue. Our political differences and issues will continue, but we cannot forget those who are suffering right now. It is my appeal for the people to not forget the flood victims as they are still sleeping under an open sky, without shelter. Out of the thirty-three million, sixteen million are children and six hundred thousand are pregnant women. The thirty-three million are not only suffering from a loss of shelter but also facing water-borne diseases. Around 4.5 million acres of standing crop was destroyed. Had this happened anywhere else, there would be only one national issue for the country. We want your help and support so that we emerge from this crisis.

As far as our democratic and constitutional journey is concerned, I hope that whoever participates in the Asma Jahangir Conference defends not only the democracy and the parliamentary system of the country but ensures that we can save our next generation from religious and political extremism. Political extremism is not only being combatted in Pakistan, but India, Europe and the US. If the extremists in Pakistan are targeting Islamabad, then those in the US have Washington D.C. as their target. We hope that the new generation will support the truth, democracy and progress while denouncing chaos, extremism and one person’s ego.