Pakistan People’s Party Chairman said his party derived its strength from the people and was ready to go to the court of the people with the record of its performance during the last five years.
He was talking to PPP workers from Kasur, Nankana and Sheikhupura districts at Bilawal House on Saturday.
The delegation, headed by Central Punjab PPP President Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo and opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz, included PPP Rural Lahore Secretary General Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, lawmakers Sardar Hussain Dogar, Malik Akhtar Hussain Naul, Ahmad Ali Tolu, Amjad Ali Meo, and district presidents and general secretaries of PPP.
The meeting discussed political situation in the country with special reference to preparations for the upcoming general elections.
Bilawal urged the party office-bearers to gear up their efforts to reach out to the people and highlight the party’s achievements and also mobilise people for maximum participation in the forthcoming elections.
He recounted various achievements of the PPP-led coalition government, including fight against militancy, granting provincial autonomy, restoration to a large extent of the constitution and purging it of distortions inserted by the successive dictatorships, the 20thl Amendment to ensure free and fair elections, NFC Award, introduction of Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan, political stability through reconciliation, poverty alleviation and women empowerment through the Benazir Income Support Program, giving shares to the workers in state-run enterprises, giving identity to the people of Pakhtunkhwa and taking legislative and other measures to protect women and other vulnerable classes from exploitations.
He said that even without simple majority, the PPP has achieved during its tenure what others with heavy mandate could not.
He said, “We have to build on these gains as we still have to travel a long distance in our struggle for real empowerment of the people and fulfilling the promise of our greater leaders of roti, kapra and makan.”
The PPP chairman said, “With our eyes on the upcoming elections we will not allow anyone to create hurdles in the way of holding free, fair and transparent elections in the country.”
He said that the completion of the tenure of the PPP-led coalition government was a great achievement in itself and augurs well for further strengthening of democracy and democratic process in the country.
He advised the party members to galvanise party workers to have greater interaction with the people of their constituencies and to help resolving the problems faced by the people.
He asked the elected representatives to ensure early completion of the ongoing developmental schemes in their respective areas.
The later part of the meeting was turned into an interactive session where the participants spoke candidly about host of issues, including the issues faced by the people in their respective areas and the preparations for the upcoming elections.
They assured the chairman that they are in touch with the people of their respective areas and were undertaking every effort to provide relief to the people.