LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says he is contesting against the forces that have held Punjab hostage for the last many decades.

He was speaking at a reception held for him at Thokar Niaz Beg late on Thursday night.

Reiterating that his party has always come up with people-friendly manifestos, he urged the people to help him convert the country into a progressive and enlightened Pakistan.

Criticising both the PTI and PML-N leadership for what he said doing “abusive” and “showy” politics, he said such politics was done by those who lack any ideology. Whereas, he said, he was in the field with an ideology and had brought a revolutionary manifesto like his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did and a pro-masses plan like his mother Benazir Bhutto did.

Hours before the arrival of the party chairman around 1,000 PPP workers, a majority of them women, led by aspirant for NA-135 (Lahore-XIII) Amjad Ali Jutt, were passionately sitting under a canopy erected at the first reception camp at Thokar Niaz Beg intersection on Thursday afternoon.

An hour-long heavy shower which had soaked the chairs lying under the canopy and the carpet beneath them, and the ensuing humidity had failed to diminish spirit of jiyalas hoping to have a glimpse of their young leader.

The DJ system blaring out party songs was thrilling them and some of them began dancing to the tune, whereas occasional chanting of slogans like ‘Bhutto day na’ray wajjan gay’ added to their frenzy. Multiple shopping bags containing rose petals to be showered on Bilawal were lying in a corner.

Outside the canopy along Multan Road, party’s tricolour flags with bamboo sticks placed in bundles were being offered for free. However, one had to pay if one selected a P-cap or other caps or badges in party colours.

Syed Azhar Hussain Sherazi was selecting a badge from there. Belonging to a neighbourhood adjacent to Thokar Niaz Beg, he claimed to be a ‘jiyala by birth’ as his family has been affiliated with the PPP since its inception in 1967.

Regretting the knee problem that has prevented his father from coming to Bilawal’s reception, he said his elder brother Ayaz Sherazi had toured with slain party chairperson Benazir Bhutto from Sindh to Punjab on her return from exile back in 2007.

He believes that if Asif Ali Zardari gives Bilawal a free hand in political and organisational decision-making, the latter has the capability of doing wonders like his mother and grandfather and may resurrect the party in Punjab.

His views were endorsed by Maqbool fervently waiting to receive Bilawal at Pindi Stop reception camp. The party had set up 20 reception camps on the 30km route the chairman was set to cover through Lahore.

A party leader said Bilawal’s arrival had been rescheduled because of PTI chief Imran Khan’s public meetings on the route.

An interesting scene was witnessed at the Thokar reception camp when jiyalas rushed to Imran Khan’s cavalcade which was coming to a nearby venue of PTI’s public meeting, considering it as of Bilawal’s. They only returned when PPP leaders made announcements through the DJ system directing them to come back as the party chairman was yet to reach from Jaranwala side.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2018