KARACHI: Throughout Sindh on Monday, activists and supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) celebrated the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment on the call of the party’s provincial chapter.

In Karachi, they gathered outside the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in a large number to express gratitude to party leadership and celebrate the enactment in parliament.

Carrying flags of Pakistan and PPP, chanting slogans and dancing to the tunes of party songs, they converged outside the main entrance of the mausoleum in rallies coming from different parts of the city.

Addressing the participants, Karachi division PPP president and Sindh Local Bodies Minister Saeed Ghani said that people in the country were delighted on the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment and the role played by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in that regard.

In Hyderabad, PPP workers and supporters took out rallies to express their happiness over the passage of the amendment.

PPP district chapter leaders and workers gathered outside the district council building on Monday night to celebrate the occasion.

CM’s Special Assistant Abdul Jabbar Khan, PPP Sindh Information Secretary Ajiz Dhamra, Hyderabad Mayor Kashif Shoro, PPP Hyderabad district president Saghir Qureshi and general secretary Ali M. Sahito participated in the jubilation.

The workers danced in the street on party songs.

The leaders attributed the passage of the Amendment to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s proactive role.

In Larkana, PPP leaders and workers, along with all sister organisations of the party, hailing from Larkana division held a rally and distributed sweets.

Shikarpur District Council Chairman Zulfikar Kamariyo, Larkana district PPP general secretary Aijaz Leghari, Babul Khan Bhayo, Gul Muhammed Jakhrani, Qamarudin Gopang and Qambar-Shahdadkot district PPP president Apa Nasiban Channa, Dr Sakina Gaad and others led the rally.

Carrying party flags and chanting slogans, the participants assembled at the main gate of Jinnahbagh and later outside the local press club.

Addressing the jubilant participants, the PPP leaders said that the 26th amendment was the symbol of unity amongst the political parties and it was the victory of all democratic forces. They said it was a defeat to the anti-democratic forces.

They praised the fruitful efforts of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari which proved him to be a leading democratic leader. They believed that time had come that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari be elected as prime minister.

With the amendment, the parliament had emerged stronger and judicial activism would also be minimised, they said, adding that with the establishment of the constitutional court, the burden of cases on the Supreme Court would be reduced.

In the past, the courts had given birth to the ‘doctrine of necessity’ and supported martial laws.

On one hand Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who gave 1973’s Constitution, was hanged while on the other a dictator was authorised to amend the constitution, they said.

In Nawabshah, PPP activists took out a rally on the occasion, holding party flags and chanting slogans.

The party workers and supporters gathered outside the Peoples Secretariat and reached Nawabshah Press Club in the lead of district PPP president Saalim Zardari, general secretary Syed Ali Haider Shah, Ali Akbar Jamali, Rashid Chandio, Khan Bahadur Bhatti and others.

Speaking on the occasion, the leaders said their young chairman had defeated senior parliamentarians and got the 26th Constitutional Amendment approved.

They said Bilawal had saved the rights of the people of Pakistan.

They said the 27th amendment would also be approved soon and Bilawal Bhutto would become prime minister in 2025.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2024