NEW YORK, Sept 30: People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari has said that despite all challenges Pakistan is making its
first constitutional and peaceful transfer of power from a democratic
government to a new democratic government due to a strong and democratic
set-up put in place by the PPP.
Addressing an international convention of the PPP here late on
Saturday, he said Pakistan had been transformed from a dictatorship into
a democracy and “we have restored the supremacy of parliament”.
Mr Bilawal said the PPP would always stand by the overseas Pakistanis
and was committed to ensuring the right to vote to them in the
elections. “We are committed to the idea that dual-nationals should be
able to participate in all our country’s civic matters and that includes
the right to contest elections.”
He said that no unelected people had the right to question the
loyalty of anyone elected by the people of Pakistan. Therefore,
expatriate Pakistanis should be given the right to vote and contest the
general elections.
Appreciating the contribution of the Pakistanis living abroad, Mr
Bilawal said he could understand their feelings as he was forced to live
in exile along with his mother Benazir Bhutto.
Highlighting the achievements of the democratic government, he said:
“We have devolved power to the provinces, thus decentralising government
and bringing it closer to the people.”
Commenting on the Balochistan situation, the PPP leader said: “With
every missing person and with every dead body, we realise a Baloch
family loses hope in Pakistan.”
“We have stopped living in denial, and we cannot let the province
bleed the way it has and taken historic measures to address the
underlying causes of the challenges in Balochistan.”
He said: “Where Musharraf treated the people of Balochistan as
enemies of the state we see them as an integral part of our state of
Pakistan.”
—APP
Masood Haider and Anwar Iqbal add: Mr Bilawal launched the PPP’s
election campaign at the convention, underlining the government’s
achievements and promising reforms for reviving an ailing economy.
One major achievement that he highlighted – “the first constitutional
and peaceful transfer of power from a democratic government to a new
democratic government” – is acknowledged by PPP’s rivals as well.
The passion with which he eulogised the government’s response to a
recent blasphemous video indicated that the party also planned to use
this as a major achievement during the election campaign.
“I join the unanimous chorus of condemnation of a vile, hateful,
blasphemous video that has unfortunately incited violence across the
Muslim world,” he said.
His father – President Asif Ali Zardari – raised this issue at the UN
General Assembly last week and later Pakistan presented a joint
declaration at the OIC foreign ministers conference in New York as well.
The OIC endorsed the Pakistani move but no other Muslim nation shared
its enthusiasm on the issue.
At the PPP convention, speakers likened it to “the great
anti-Ahmadiya amendment of 1974”, pledging to the nation that the party
would continue to serve Islam and Muslims.
Mr Bilawal also claimed credit for gains his party had little to do with.
“It is under this PPP government that overseas remittances have
increased from $6 billion to almost $13 billion,” he said, but failed to
mention that it were US-sponsored restrictions on money transfers that
made this possible.
Mr Bilawal, who came to the meeting with his sister Bakhtawar Bhutto
Zardari and Ambassador Sherry Rehman, also experienced the traditional
PPP ‘jiyala’ culture of shouting, pushing and kicking and had to be
escorted by security men when the jiyalas mobbed him.
The jiyalas also fought each other with great zest and turned their
attention to journalists when there was nobody else to fight with.
Mr Bilawal’s polished manners, British accent and his politeness
contrasted sharply with the crowd’s attitude, indicating that he needed
greater exposure to the jiyala culture.
He read from a well-written speech, better suited for a think-tank audience in Washington than a ‘jiyala jalsa’.
He reminded the crowd, which pushed women aside when the dinner was
served, that the PPP-led parliament had passed more legislation for
women than all past parliaments combined.
“This has been the only government not to hold people in prison for
their political allegiances,” said Mr Bilawal as rival PPP factions
suggested calling police for getting their rivals arrested.
Mr Bilawal also said that the landmark Benazir Income Support
Programme had provided food, clothing and shelter to people, a claim
obviously aimed at voters in Pakistan than at an audience which depends
on the US economy – and not on a safety net – to earn a living. The
Waseela-i-Haq Programme was helping the poorest of the poor to improve
their lives and providing jobs.
The programme has improved the health of the poor, and has brought education to them.
The PPP leader said despite external shocks that led to fiscal
deficit, Pakistan managed to have an annual GDP growth rate of almost
four per cent, a claim rejected in a recent IMF report.
“Our exports crossed an historic benchmark of $25 billion this year.
Our agricultural policy has transformed Pakistan from a wheat importer
to a wheat exporter,” he said.
The PPP government has more than halved inflation from its peak at 25
per cent to 11 per cent, another claim rejected by the IMF.
“The Karachi Stock Exchange is the 4th best performing in the world.
Not in South Asia, not in Asia, not in the East, but in the world,” he
said.
Mr Bilawal said the PPP government opposed drone strikes and would
fight this war on its own terms, not at the dictation of a foreign
power. The US media, however, claimed that Pakistan had allowed the US
to continue the drone strikes. - DAWN
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