LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Thursday Prime Minister Imran Khan had himself admitted failure of his entire cabinet by awarding ‘best performance’ certificates to only 10 ‘blue-eyed’ federal ministers.

He was addressing a workers’ convention of the party’s south Punjab chapter at the Gilani House in Multan.

Almost all PPP office-bearers, including divisional, district, tehsil and union councils and other allied wings of lawyers, labour, youth and students were present at the convention.

He said Imran Khan had committed a ‘great injustice’ to Multan for not conferring a certificate on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while distributing performance certificates.

Says ‘injustice’ was done to Multan by depriving foreign minister of award

He said on the one hand, the government was claiming that the China visit was highly successful but on the other deprived the foreign minister of a certificate.

He said Imran had given a certificate to the minister who halted the CPEC project and also conferred a certificate on another who had promised to create a Seraiki province in 90 days. He gave another certificate to a minister who was removed from one ministry and but now held the planning portfolio for “planning the sugar, gas, petrol, medicine and fertiliser crises in the country.”

Talking about corruption allegations against the PPP, he said Asif Ali Zardari, Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari and he himself were living in Pakistan and if Imran had the courage then he should come and arrest them.

“From Quaid-i-Awam to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and president Zardari, all were exonerated from fake corruption charges.”

The PPP chairman said the long march would begin on Feb 27 from Karachi and pass through GT Road in Punjab on its way to Islamabad.

“We will not let the ‘selected’ cause more harm to the people of Pakistan. We will tell the public about the facilitators of this incompetent government,” he said. Bilawal said Imran’s wickets had started falling and his friend was disqualified.

“Now, the government’s allies are also changing their views and we will pass through the constituencies of the allies and tell them the verdict of the people. We will expose every facilitator of Imran Khan on the way to Islamabad.”

Former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani said: “The PPP is preparing to welcome the long march participants from Sadiqabad to Chichawanti.”

He said the PPP leadership was fighting for the rights of the public and in the past provided a unanimous constitution, made the country nuclear power, empowered the women, brought about agriculture revolution and started the Benazir Income Support Programme, doubled the salaries of government employees and also enacted the 18th amendment in the constitution.

He said Imran Khan had promised to provide 10 million jobs and carve out a Seraiki province but did nothing even after a lapse of three years.

PPP South Punjab president Makhdoom Syed Ahmad Mahmood, former ministers Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Sardar Qayyum Khan Jatoi, Bahadur Khan Sehar, former Punjab chief minister Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa, PPP South Punjab general secretary Natasha Daultana and others also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2022