THATTA: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari led a big rally from Sujawal to Thatta on Sunday in a bid to make a direct contact with the people of the two districts as part of the party’s election campaign for the second phase of the local government polls in the province.

Wearing a black shalwar-kameez suit with a traditional Ajrak, Mr Bhutto-Zardari arrived in a helicopter in Nodo Baran, a small settlement in the suburb of Sujawal Town, at about 11.40am. A large number of party workers and PPP leaders, including Nisar Khuhro, Shehla Raza, Muhammad Ali Malkani, Sadiq Memon, welcomed him.

The young PPP chairman started his journey on the National Highway towards Thatta. He was leading the convoy of vehicles in a SUV surrounded by armed guards.

But Mr Bhutto-Zardari, whose mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated eight years ago in a gun-and-bomb attack when she emerged from the sunroof of her jeep in Rawalpindi, chose to appear from the sunroof of his SUV twice to wave to scores of people in Sujawal and in Thatta.

As the rally proceeded to Thatta, carrying tri-coloured party flags and raising slogans in the PPP’s favour, the people, women and children included, present at the roadsides of the highway showered Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s vehicle with petals.

He was warmly welcomed by the people when he reached Sujawal. The town was adorned with arrow, the PPP’s election symbol. On the insistence of his workers, Mr Bhutto-Zardari made a brief speech.

“This large crowd of people is itself evident of the success of the legacy of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto,” he said.

He said he was confident that Nov 19, the day of polling, would be the day of victory of PPP candidates.

He appealed to the people to stamp on the PPP’s election symbol so that all opponents could know that the party was still alive in the hearts of the people.

The rally took seven hours to reach Doolah Dariya Khan bridge within the territorial jurisdiction of Thatta district. Senator Sassui Palijo, MPA Rukhsana Shah, Dr Wahid Soomro, and scores of party activists and supporters received the PPP chairman there.

However, the party workers and supporters, who had been waiting for the PPP chairman since morning, were quite disappointed as Mr Bhutto-Zardari did not make any speech in Thatta.

Later, the rally reached Chillya, from where Mr Bhutto-Zardari was scheduled to return to Karachi in the same helicopter. However, as the chopper developed some technical fault, the PPP chairman drove towards Hyderabad via the National Highway for his return to Karachi from the Superhighway.

Strict security arrangements were taken by police and other law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, according to a party statement, Mr Bhutto-Zardari told the participants of the rally that the PPP was “the party of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the restoration of democracy in the country”.

He said the PPP never compromised on the rights of the people. “We know how to give sacrifices for democracy.”

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2015