SUKKUR: Speaking at a workers’ convention here on Wednesday, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the decision to keep the army away from polling stations in the erstwhile Fata areas was commendable and hoped the military would not be deployed in the upcoming Ghotki by-election as well.

The PPP chief also announced holding of a sit-in against inflation in Sukkur on Thursday (today). Attacks were being made on democracy and the Constitution from all sides and jiyalas would once again have to get ready to struggle for the protection of the Constitution and human rights, he added.

He said that the federal rulers thought that they would bring pressure to bear on the party by sending their leaders to jail. Even if his entire family and leadership were sent behind bars, the party would not budge from its resolve to protect the Constitution, he said.

To hold rally from Sukkur to Punjab border today against inflation

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said the one who used to claim that he would never beg had committed “economic suicide” by cutting a deal with the International Monetary Fund. The budget had provided relief to the corrupt and put burden of inflation on low-income people, he said, adding that the government did not make any announcement for even one job in the budget, though it had promised to create 10 million jobs.

Bilawal said that workers’ conventions would be organised throughout the country and warned his detractors that those who were thinking about the end of the party did not know that the party had just begun.

He said that Shahnawaz Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto sacrificed their lives for the people, Asif Ali Zardari remained incarcerated for the people and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed over his fight for democracy.

He announced holding a sit-in on Thursday in Sukkur against rising inflation and said that he would lead a rally from Sukkur to Punjab’s border.

PPP Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sukkur divisional president Haji Anwar Khan Mahar, MNA Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, provincial Minister for Transport Syed Awais Qadir Shah and other leaders were present at the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2019