–PPP co-chairman says 18th Amendment granted autonomy to provinces
–Claims PPP chose to stay in Opp despite ‘winning polls’ in order to serve people ‘not ourselves’
–We aren’t the ones to run away, says Bilawal
GHOTKI: Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said that the party’s leadership would not be threatened or “brought down” by political pressure.
On Thursday, the former president’s name was placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) along with the names of his son Bilawal and sister Faryal Talpur by the federal government following a joint investigative report as part of a mega money laundering probe.
Addressing a political gathering in Ghotki, Zardari said that a nation aware of its [constitutional and human] rights could not be threatened, assuring his supporters that they have no reason to be afraid in light of the turn of events as the PPP leadership does not bow down easily.
Zardari began his speech with a jibe aimed at the federal government. “I am speaking in Urdu because those who reside in Islamabad appear to be deaf and blind,” he said.
Referring to the 18th Amendment, the PPP co-chairman said that the 18th Amendment granted autonomy to provinces. He said that the PPP government had given provinces their due right in natural resources.
“The law was passed unanimously by the Parliament. Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan have the same rights as Sindh,” he added.
“The gas and gold mines do not personally belong to me. We have chartered public-private partnerships. PPP’s philosophy stands for the rights of poor people,” he said.
Zardari stressed that applying the same model in Punjab, KP and Balochistan will “unite Pakistan”. “Pakistan becomes stronger when citizens are content – when they enjoy their rights and prosper,” he added.
“If you are disappointed that you could not rig elections in Sindh the way you did in other provinces, you can try again,” he challenged the incumbent government. “We are prepared for the battle.”
The former head of state also said that the party had chosen to stay in opposition despite winning elections. “We come into power to serve people not to serve ourselves.”
He questioned why he and his party members were facing such persecution, asserting that they had not committed any sins.
Instead, he claimed, our work shall be memorialised in history for we always serve the poor man first, and a country is only strong when its people are happy.
On Thursday, the former president had said that his party will take the government back from the “ladla” (blue-eyed person) through a democratic process, adding that the party’s leadership will not get deterred by the “favoured one’s” tactics.
Zardari had also vowed to fight his political opponents “in court and everywhere else”, saying “they have started to sound like a broken record. They do not know how to do anything except spewing rubbish on television.”
‘NOT THE ONES TO RUN AWAY’:
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while reacting to the government’s decision of placing his name on the no-fly list alongside his father, aunt and others, said on Friday that they were “not the ones to run away”.
The PPP chief said this during his visit to a church. He was accompanied by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s youngest daughter and his aunt, Sanam Bhutto, with whom he jointly cut a cake to mark Christmas.
Bilawal said, “We are not scared of ECL and notices. We are not the ones to run away, but we are those who sacrifice their blood. Puppets will run away but not Bhuttos.”
He said that the joint investigation team’s (JIT) report was false and consisted of a bundle of lies. He also said that his father, Asif Ali Zardari, was put behind bars for 11 years, but “even then we did not run away.” He further said that if Zardari is arrested, the party will contest the case through legal means.
Bilawal said that his party would support the parliament if it amends the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law and called for across-the-board accountability. “National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is for dictators, Jahangir Khan Tareen, Aleema Khan and PCO judges but vendetta is only for opponents.”
Bilawal said that party leaders neither wanted an NRO nor would they seek it, adding “we would take up issues in and outside the parliament and launch a struggle for democracy and the people”. He said that no forward bloc would be created in PPP and such blocks were only made in the minds of their opponents.
He said that a “puppet government” intended to encroach upon the 18th Amendment and resources of the province. “There is an ongoing conspiracy to establish one unit in the country and we are being pressurised for compromise but I cannot commit treachery with the graves and vision of the martyred Bhuttos,” he added. Bilawal said that under the present circumstances, the centre is being weakened.
Reaffirming his support for the Sindh chief executive, he said, “We have full confidence in Syed Murad Ali Shah who is the finest chief minister.”
Bilawal further said that PPP had always worked for the promotion of religious harmony.
Bilawal and Sanam were given traditional gifts of Sindhi Ajrak by the Christian community on their arrival. PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, MNA Khurshid Junejo, Lal Chand Akrani and others were also present on the occasion.
