Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Monday lauded contributions of the party workers to the cause of democracy, rule of law and Constitution and said workers were the backbone of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The prime minister expressed these views while talking to Aslam Gill, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, who called on him at the PM House to congratulate him on his own behalf and on behalf of people of Lahore and the PPP workers on assumption of the charge of the chief executive of the country.
The prime minister said the PPP workers braved the rigours of dictatorship with courage and fortitude and their heroic and arduous struggle for restoration of democracy was indeed a matter of pride for all supporters of people’s rights.
The Prime Minister said he would visit Lahore soon and meet the PPP workers to express his gratitude for their constant struggle for people’s rights.
“It is a matter of pride for me that I am one of the party workers and would continue to remain so. It will be my utmost endeavour to come up to expectations of the party workers who are my strong arms,” he added.
Aslam Gill said elevation of Raja Pervez Ashraf to the top slot of the country owed itself to his sheer hard work, strong bond with party workers and unflinching loyalty to PPP.
He said it was also a tribute to the vision of Shaheed Zulifkar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Gill said the induction of a party worker into the position of Premier of the country had thrown in a challenge as well as an opportunity to other political parties to open the doors of top offices for the party workers.
Aslam Gill said it was ironic that the political forces who were never tired of chanting mantra for democracy were dominated by a political elite of close relatives with little space for upward mobility of workers.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister said empowerment of people was essence of democracy. He said that it was singular honour of Co- Chairperson of PPP who, while following the democratic ideals of the party’s founding fathers, opened the window for a political worker to become the Prime Minister of the country.
Aslam Gill appreciated the Prime Minister on reaching a consensus on Justice (Retd) Fakhar-ud-Din Ibrahim as next Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, adding that the consensus on an impartial person with proven integrity and professionalism would ensure the holding of free, fair and transparent elections in the country.
Gill said rigging and manipulation of the electoral process undermined the people’s right to choose their representatives. He said that the nation could ill-afford the application of such tactics of deceit and fraud which did irreparable loss to democracy in the country.
