LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in his message on the eve of his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s 41st death anniversary, emphasised the need to follow the vision of the late statesman, to face the escalating crisis caused by coronavirus. Everyone should work to save others from the looming ravages of the virus, he said.

He said that “true leaders change the destinies of nations and they lead with great determination and vision in times of crises”.

He recalled that following the fall of Dhaka, Pakistan had lost thousands of miles of its territory to enemy occupation and 90,000 of our soldiers were made prisoners of war.

“Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto not only got our land and soldiers back, but went on to laying the foundation of our nuclear programme, ensuring our territorial integrity would never be at the mercy of our neighbours again. To deal with the economic devastation of losing more than half your country, mega economic and industrial projects like Pakistan Steel, Port Qasim, Heavy Mechanical Complex, and Pakistan Machine Tool Factory etc were created to shore up the nation’s infrastructure,” he said.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that in these troubled times, the people of Pakistan were looking for a new Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a leader who would galvanize them despite our differences, a leader who would be the shining beacon to lead us out of this pandemic.

He said the people of Pakistan could never forget the sacrifice Z.A. Bhutto had made for the nation.

He said that the PPP and all those who believed in the late Bhutto’s message of equality, opportunity and sacrifice would not leave the people of Pakistan to fend for themselves in any kind of crisis.

“We will continue the legacy of our ancestors and protect our people and their interests at any cost,” he pledged.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2020