KARACHI, Dec 19: Pakistan People's Party leader Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday said his party would defeat the establishment in its struggle for democratic rights and urged the masses, especially the youth , to participate in the struggle and acquire knowledge and expertise in technology.

He was speaking at the convention of the People's Students Federation (Sindh) outside Bilawal House. Mr Zardari said that after coming into power again, the PPP would provide jobs and provide land to landless peasants to improve the lot of the common man.

He said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's policy of 'Roti, Kapra Aur Makan' was still valid and the formed the basis of the common man's struggle. The party, he said, was still struggling for the same ideals.

Amid slogans of 'Jiye Bhutto', 'Jiye Benazir' and 'Jiye Zardari', he said that the general was becoming weaker with each passing day and that turncoats, who had abandoned the party for their narrow vested interests, would not be taken back into the party's fold.

He said that the government had been compelled to talk about democratic dispensation because of mounting pressure of the people. Speaking like a seasoned politician, Mr Zardari tried to build a personal rapport with the youth cadre and said that the PPP's street power was still intact but the party had not used it deliberately.

"We are exploiting the regime's weakness and ruthlessness to our advantage to frustrate conspiracies against the country," he said, adding that Ms Benazir Bhutto's living in exile was also part of a well thought out strategy.

"Had there been no 9/11 tragedy, the PPP would have shown its real power in the last elections which were rigged, despite the fact the Benazir Bhutto was not allowed to contest those elections and I was kept in detention," he said.

He reiterated that no matter what the rulers said, general elections would be held in 2005 and said that Ms Bhutto would return to lead the people. Referring to what he termed acrimonious water crisis, Mr Zardari said that the problem had been deliberately created by the establishment to pit people of different provinces against each other to extend its rule.

However, Mr Zardari, who acknowledged the seriousness of the water issue, stressed the need for employing better water conservation and management techniques to meet the needs of swelling population.

Mr Zardari paid rich tribute to the party's student cadre whom he said formed the vanguard of the struggle for democracy, adding that he himself had to endure eight-year-long detention while many activists had to pay with their lives.

The PPP leader said that his detention and Ms Benazir Bhutto's going into exile were part of the struggle to protect the people's rights, despite temptations and torture.

Reiterating his unflinching faith in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's ideals, Mr Zardari urged the PSF cadre to organize on scientific basis and exploit the communication boom.

Assuring the youth of providing them modern information technology, Mr Zardari said he would visit every district to acquaint himself with problems being faced by students. He said that late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave the ultimate sacrifice for upholding the people's rights and democracy.

The PPP leader said that if he wanted to strike a compromise, he could have done it long ago. He stressed the need for the political forces to forge unity to make a fresh start by emancipating the society from the clutches of the establishment.

Earlier, Sindh PPP chief Syed Qaim Ali Shah paid tribute to Mr Zardari for enduring detention and said that the party had nominated him to lead the youth and tasked him to reorganize the youth cadre. Representatives of the PSF from all over Sindh poured out their grievances and demanded that elections should be held to reactivate the PSF.