GILGIT: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday promised to wage struggle for realising democratic rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and to fulfill the commitment made with the region’s people by late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Speaking at public meetings in Skardu and Astore, he said GB people should come forward to raise voice for the people of India-held Kashmir.

The PPP chairman also asked the people of GB to side with his party against what he said inefficient Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government. He vowed that he would follow his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s vision by becoming ambassador of Gilgit-Baltistan people at the centre.

The PPP chairman said that PPP was the real voice of Kashmiris. “I have come here to listen to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. I want to seek their opinion on the problems of the country,” he said. He said that he believed the entire Gilgit-Baltistan would be with them if they started a long march against the government.

Bilawal Bhutto said the party had been warning of the Hindutva philosophy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “There was a time when butcher of Gujarat was refused visa from every civilised country,” he said while referring to killing of Muslims in Indian state of Gujarat when it was ruled by Narenda Modi as its chief minister.

Bilawal further said that India suffered moral defeat on Kashmir issue at the international forums. He said that they would fulfill the promises of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto which he had made with Kashmiris and claimed that Pakistan became a nuclear power owing to the efforts of PPP.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2019