GARHI KHUDA BUKHSH BHUTTO: Pakistan Peoples Party-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto has said that she opposes military operations and hangings.

She was speaking at a programme organised by her party in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto to observe the 38th death anniversary of PPP founder chairman and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on Tuesday.

“I am against operations Raddul Fasaad and Zarb-i-Azb, and also hangings,” she said, arguing that such operations could not root out terrorism and hangings might foment further terrorism.

“Economic terrorism is the root cause of other offshoots of terrorism; once economic terrorism is curbed, it will definitely uproot other forms of terrorism,” she said, and expressed her belief that “terrorism can only be banished with love and affection”.

She said those involved in terrorism in North Waziristan and other areas were enemies of the country.

‘US, Israel are foes, Russia friend’

The PPP-SB leader disagreed with the those who regard China as another East India Company in the context of massive development and business opportunities it has brought to the country. “China is our old and sincere friend; it has become an economic giant in the world,” she observed.

Ms Ghinwa said that highways and motorways did not manifest a country’s growth. Rather, she added, it is the prosperity of its people that reflected its growth.

She told the audience that the US and Israel were imperialist countries and, as such, they could not be our friends. “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shah Faisal, Gamal [Abdel] Nasser and Muammar Qadhafi were the Muslim leaders of international stature who were eliminated by imperialist forces,” she said, and declared: “Russia is our friend for it is fighting against the IS in Syria. Bombarding Syria and crushing Yemen is condemnable,” she said.

She talked of a programme of providing food among the poor and empowering small tillers with loans.

“These small initiatives are aimed at linking society as socialism will come only after society is connected.”

She observed that institutions in Pakistan were on the decline and poverty had gone down to a level where it was touching that of certain African states. “If the trend continues, Pakistan may become a jagir [private property],” she warned.

Pointing towards the participants in the programme, she said: “You are my army; a revolution is not far if you stay united; we have to safeguard the country”.

Feroza Lashari, Seema Rafique, advocate Chaudhri Munir, Syed Saleem Shah, Javed Iqbal Moazzim and Ali Ahmed Palipoto were the other senior PPP-SB leaders who spoke at the programme.

Resolutions

The gathering passed 11 resolutions, with one of them demanding the reopening of the Z.A. Bhutto execution case to ensure delivery of justice.

Through the other resolutions, the participants condemned the ongoing bloodbath in Syria after Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya under the supervision of the US, and endorsed Russian strategy in the Syrian conflict. They said if the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would serve interests of the ruling class instead of the general public, the PPP-SB would oppose it.

They observed that the Ummah would further divide under the alliance of Muslim countries taking shape under Saudi Arabia and may lead to a crisis.

They said Pakistan should not become part of the alliance and retired General Raheel Sharif should be stopped from leading it.

They called for adequate irrigation water for Sindh and an equitable distribution of gunny bags among growers for the disposal of wheat crop.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2017