KARACHI, Nov 30: Although he matched his words with sentiment as always, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday focused his speech on Peoples Party’s arch rival, the PML-N, and offered glimpses of a future political agenda.

The speech, on the occasion of his party’s 46th foundation day, was unlike his Oct 18 speech in which he came down hard on virtually every major political party.

In the second speech since he turned 25 in September and became eligible for contesting the general elections, the PPP’s young chairman tried to dispel the impression that the party had weakened and was struggling for survival.

On the contrary, he claimed, a bright future beckoned his party, expressing confidence that the next general election would vindicate him.

“We will show to the world before 2018 that the PPP is not only alive but is in a better shape than before and still has a place in the hearts of the poor,” said the PPP chief, his forehead shining with sweat that he kept wiping with a kerchief.

He was standing behind the podium covered with an iconic portrait of the PPP’s founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wearing a Mao cap. The stage on which the party leaders were sitting on a wooden floor faced a large charged crowd of the party workers and supporters who were raising slogans in a large tent abutting the Bilawal House.

Mr Bilawal’s sister Bakhtawar was present on the stage, flanked by aunt Faryal Talpur and Syed Owais Muzaffar, who has lately resigned from the Sindh cabinet.

Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Raza Rabbani and Makhdoom Amin Fahim were the other frontline leaders on the stage.

The PPP chief had a bottle of water kept on the dais that he used frequently as his throat got dried because of the high pitch that marked his speech.

“The PPP is not just a political party but a passion and enthusiasm as well. And passion never dies,” he said. “They (detractors) do not realise that the relationship between me and you transcends language,” he gestured at the crowd, taking a dig at those who play up his lack of fluency in Urdu.

“PPP is not a hyphenated party as no 'Fay, Noon or Qaaf’ (F, N or Q) follows its name,” he said in a jibe at the three factions of the Pakistan Muslim League.

“Our party is beyond all these and will not die like the parties which vanish into thin air once their hyphens go.

“I have blood relation with my Jiyalas. They hear my voice in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab,” Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, drawing a roar of approval from the crowd.

He mildly criticised cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and religious parties as well.

“PPP is not owned by feudal lords, industrialists, mullahs and sportsmen. Its name shows it is a party of the people.”

He praised his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, for taking a ‘strong stance’ against US drone attacks by closing Shamsi airbase and halting Nato supplies after a US-led 2011 attack on Salala check-post bordering Afghanistan.

“President Zardari gave due rights to provinces by signing 18th amendment to the constitution. He raised voice for the poor by introducing Benazir Income Support Programme,” he said.

Mr Bilawal lambasted economic policies of the government, which he termed ‘anti-people’.

“Personalisation is going on in the name of privatisation…national institutions are being dished out to friends. But we’ll not let this happen,” he said.

He said the life was getting harder for poor masses and things had either gone out of control of the government or it had an agenda to punish people through skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and services while ‘stuffing their own coffers’.

“We’ll fight for social mobility and economic equality; we’ll fight for the poor who are being denied food and subsidies on gas and electricity.”