HYDERABAD, Dec 17: Pakistan People’s chairperson Benazir Bhutto said on Monday that Gwadar port was planned by her government and “after January 9 it would be handed over to its real owners.”

She said holding of fair elections was promised during negotiations with her, therefore, January 8 polls would be a litmus test for the present regime.

Addressing a sizable gathering of PPP workers at Isra university ground which formally marked launching of PPP’s election campaign in Sindh here on Monday, she warned judicial, administration and intelligence officials to remain neutral in the electoral process and ensure holding of transparent and fair elections. She urged people to be vigilant during and after polling and check those who try to escape with ballot boxes.

She began her speech by paying tribute to the sacrifices given by late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and party workers. She repeatedly said that her late father preferred death but didn’t let down his followers, who have become his political heirs now. She also recounted projects and schemes launched by her late father and by herself.

She said that PPP believed in parity among people and claimed to be the genuine representative of women, peasants, labourers and minorities. She said that she returned to the country after a dark era but now sun of democracy would surely rise.

She focussed her speech on military junta as she said that right from 1947 to date there was a conflict as to who had to lead the country, military or people. She said that late Bhutto had made it clear that people could not be enslaved by generals, who couldn’t rule the country.

She said that late Bhutto had developed differences with dictator Ayub Khan when the country was attacked. “Valiant soldiers fought bravely and sacrificed their lives but Ayub lost everything with his pen in Tashkent”, she said.

“During generals’ rule the country and people are weakened and dictatorship always leads to civil war”, she said. She also quoted dismemberment of the country that followed handing over of power to Yahya Khan by Ayub Khan. “The generals can neither rule the country nor the army in an efficient manner”, she remarked. Instead, she said, they have weakened people.

She said that late Ziaul Haq misused armed forces by asking them to fire bullets on masses. “People saw that hands which were supposed to protect countrymen were whipping them in Khairpur Nathan Shah, Nawabshah, Hyderabad, and everywhere or torturing and incarcerating people in jails”, she said.

She said that people really respected armed forces but real respect was likely only after separation of army from politics with an assurance that the army would not fight against its own people.