Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has admired the team work and hard-work of the PPP leaders and workers in NA-4 Peshawar by-election despite pre-poll rigging by federal and provincial government machineries.
In a statement issued here on Friday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governments opened up their exchequers and coffers for NA-4 and unleashed state machineries to steal away by-election.
He alleged that new development schemes were conceived and implemented overnight to influence the voters in complete violations of electoral rules.
Bilawal said that despite all odds the PPP workers performed well and he would like to salute them for working hard without having a level-playing field. KP and Peshawar PPP leaders and workers have proved that our party has mature, committed and loyal cadre, which could fight from dictators to their minions in all seasons, he further added.
He said that he understood that party workers were faced with vulgar and abusive mainly the newly-born political opponents. “In our 50 years of history, the Party has faced a serial of such political bubbles and pricked them finally. However, they pop up again and again in different colors as remnants of dictatorial regimes,” he said.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Peshawar by-election could not be a litmus test for popularity of any political party for a variety of reasons because 86 pc of the women of the constituency didn’t cast their votes and heavily exerted influence from both federal and provincial governments through use of resources and machinery.
Later, a delegation comprising human rights activists and members of civil society called on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Zardari House Islamabad and apprised him of issues concerning them.
The PPP chairman talking to the delegation said that PPP has always respected and supported human rights. Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a strong voice for human rights. Asif Ali Zardari always tried to keep human rights flag high. ‘The Constitution of 1973 assures human rights and this is the reason human rights issues have always been a part of PPP manifesto’ he added.
He said that during PPP last government not a single political prisoner was in the country. Former president Asif Ali Zardari has displayed immense tolerance and took the path of reconciliation in Pakistani politics following the footsteps of Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
He asked the civil society to support PPP because this was the only party which has respect for human rights, reconciliation policy in politics and provided equal opportunities to every citizen to prosper. Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Senator Sherry Rehman and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar were also present on the occasion.
