TOBA TEK SINGH: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday said that Peoples Party alone could tackle the issues of poverty and unemployment as other parties were settling their personal vendettas with their leaders contesting elections either to avoid going to jail or to come out of the detention.

“We are contesting the polls to save people from poverty and unemployment,” he declared at an election rally at Tandlianwala in Faisalabad.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that except PPP no other mainstream political parties had made their manifesto public.

“We have the manifesto of Shaheed Quaid-i-Awam (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who gave us an ideology. We have a 10-point economic agenda for welfare of people to be implemented with the support of the masses.”

He expressed the hope that a jiyala would be prime minister while another would be chief minister of Punjab after the Feb 8 elections. He said some forces were under the impression that by martyring Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto they could eliminate PPP, crush the poor and check the advance of jiyalas.

Expresses hope Feb 8 polls will pave way for a jiyala PM and Punjab CM; vows to save people from ‘anti-poor’ parties

“I want to give a message to them that we are not the ones who bow down and retreat,” he declared, adding “we are ready to contest against all political forces and prove that the ‘Bhutto of Punjab’ is still alive and we will snatch back our rights. We will save people from the anti-poor, anti-grower and anti-masses parties that have been imposed on Punjab.”

He said credit went to the people of Faisalabad for making Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto prime ministers through the power of their vote making the two leaders of the poor, labourers, growers and youth.

He expressed the hope that people would again vote for the establishment of an awami government.

“If you support us the way you supported Shaheed Quaid-i-Awam and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, we will once again tackle the issues of poverty, inflation and unemployment,” he promised.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari directed the workers to knock at every door and tell people that PPP, if voted to power, would offer 300 units of electricity to the poor free-of-cost, provide free quality education, and free quality health facilities so that people won’t need to go abroad for treatment.

He said women workers should apprise people of PPP’s plan to expand the scope of Benazir Income Support Programme incorporating more features and schemes. He said three million houses would be built for the poor who don’t their own shelter and slums would be regularised with ownership rights for women members of the households.

He said the young generation should be convinced not to ‘waste’ their votes and use their right to franchise for bringing in a government headed by a young prime minister to resolve their issues.

The youth, he added, would be able to acquire interest-free loans through a youth card, while a scheme for eliminating hunger would also be launched at the union council level.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2024