KHAIRPUR, May 16: Socialist scholar Dr. Lal Khan said on Friday that waderas, jagirdars, pirs and people belonging to elite class had defamed the Pakistan People’s Party, which had been a party of common man, peasants and labourers since late 60s.

Lal Khan said while delivering a lecture on “The Future of Democracy in South Asia” at Allama I.I. Kazi hall of the Shah Abdul Latif University that people were still with the PPP but it was now up to the party’s leadership to prove that it cared for the poor.

The party had a philosophy of martyrdom and had laid down innumerable lives during the long struggle for democracy. A large number of people gathered on Oct 18 last year to welcome Benazir Bhutto, which once again proved that they were with PPP, he said.

Again, after Benazir’s martyrdom on Dec 27, people took to the streets in the cities, towns and villages while none of the state officials could be seen anywhere, he remarked.

He said that there might be many reasons behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto but the most obvious reason was her talk about nationalisation and political programme of “Roti, Kapra aur Makan” after homecoming.

Lal Khan said that the reinstatement of judges was an issue for the leaders who were in coalition government or who were doing power politics. Their reinstatement would neither ensure provision of justice for the poor nor would provide them wheat flour or other daily use items at cheaper rates.

The judges issue had been hyped up to sideline the “Roti, Kapra aur Makan” programme and other genuine problems of people, he said, adding that real democracy without economic stability was only a daydream.

He believed that Pervez Musharraf was still ruling the country while coalition partners were only making claims about democracy. A mixture of dictatorship and democracy was being run in the country, he said.

Lal Khan said that people had reservations over Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, because he had remained an important figure during Zia’s Martial Law.