QUETTA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Sunday that the “selected rulers” and the “imposed party” would not be tolerated anymore in the country and that they would be eliminated with the help of people who are the real source of power.

He was speaking at a PPP convention after reaching the city on a two-day visit.

He said the PPP would never compromise on constitutional rights of small provinces and would resist with full force any attempt to roll back the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

PPP’s provincial president in Balochistan Ali Madad Jattak and former senator Sabir Baloch were among others who also spoke on the occasion.

Senator Yousaf Badini, former senator Rozi Khan Kakar, PPP provincial general secretary Iqbal Shah, former federal minister Sardar Omer Gorgaij, Mir Changez Khan Jamali, Ghazala Golo and other senior leaders were present on the occasion.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that the “selected party, the selected prime minister” and his government had been imposed on the country by stealing the mandate of people in the 2018 general elections

He alleged that the selected government had deprived the people of their rights. “We do not accept anyone selected or selectors,” he said, adding, “the will of people is everything for the PPP and it does not accept the finger of the empire”.

He criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government and its policies and said that the selected government was trying to deprive the provinces of their constitutional rights. He alleged that the federal government was interfering in the provinces’ affairs.

He expressed concern over the economic situation of the country and alleged that the national economy was being used to promote the interests of the “selected and selectors”. The people were facing skyrocketing price hike and inflated utility bills that were badly affecting the poor people of the country.

“We want to make it clear that we are ready to face any situation on our own, but we will not tolerate further oppression of the poor and oppressed people of this country,” he said.

He said the loyal PPP workers in Balochistan had come with a historical message that the party would observe the Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi, on Dec 27 this year.

Praising the policies of former ministers Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the PPP chairman said that they solved problems of people and struggled for their rights.

“When Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto laid the foundation of this party, he gave us four principles: Islam is our religion, democracy is our politics, equality in economy and power belongs to people. On the basis of these four principles Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made the 1973 constitution and a democratic system in the country.”

He said Benazir Bhutto struggled for rights of people throughout her life and she never compromised on her principles.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said both his mother and grandfather gave their lives but they did not bow down before dictators.

“The selected prime minister thinks that he can bring the PPP under pressure. “We have fought against the Zia and Musharraf regimes and will not bow down against any pressure,” he said. He said conspiracies were still being hatched against the PPP.

The PPP chairman criticised curbs on media, saying that his party believed in freedom of the media. He said currently the media was under pressure in the country.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that Balochistan was rich with natural resources, but unfortunately the people of this province were not getting benefits of these resources.

He said that poverty was increasing in the country and the “economic massacre” of people continued. He said the country’s resources were not being used for benefits of “selected people”.

He alleged that the PTI government had compromised on interests of people for getting a loan facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2019