KARACHI, March 19: The Pakistan People’s Party high command in Sindh remained tight-lipped about the reason for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s arrival in Pakistan, offering “no comment,” while reports in the media made it quite clear the younger Zardari had come to the country to announce the PPP’s nominee for the prime ministership, a process that has been much delayed and much criticised.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the PPP Sindh president and designated chief minister, said that he had no comment on the issue as Mr Zardari’s visit was “private.” He was speaking to the media at the People’s Secretariat in Karachi after addressing a meeting of the party’s Sindh Council.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who has become chairman of the party following his mother’s assassination on Dec 27, 2007, with his father Asif Ali Zardari keeping the seat warm as co-chairman, had earlier on Wednesday arrived in the city from the UK, where he is a student at prestigious Oxford University’s Christ Church. But he did not stop in the city and headed straight to Sukkur via air and continued by road to Garhi Khuda Baksh, where he offered fateha at his mother’s grave and will reportedly head to Islamabad on Thursday.
Perhaps timing is fortuitous, or perhaps providence has favoured the elder Zardari as the timing for the National Assembly to elect its leader of the house has seemed to coincide with Bilawal’s visit, as it is most likely term break at Oxford due to the Easter holidays. It just may be that placing the responsibility of making the announcement on his young son will take some of the heat – from both friends and foes – off Asif Zardari.
Meanwhile, arrangements for executed former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s 29th death anniversary on April 4 were also finalized at the meeting.
Qaim Ali Shah denounced all talk of splits within the party saying that efforts were made to break the PPP ever since it was founded. “Our workers will not let the party break apart. The party draws its strength from the workers. We have faced barbarism in the past,” said the seasoned politician.
He also said there would be a meeting of the party’s central executive committee on April 3 in Naudero, which would be followed by a cultural programme and tributes to ZAB from party leaders and workers.
The party also passed several resolutions at the meeting, including one in which the PPP’s Sindh Council reposed its “full confidence” in Asif Zardari’s leadership as he was “leading the party in accordance with the philosophy of ZAB and Benazir Bhutto.”
Senior PPP leader and former senator Taj Haider read out the other resolutions.
The party strongly condemned the recent hike in petroleum prices, saying it was an “anti-people and brutal act” and demanded the prices be reduced forthwith. The PPP also termed the chronic load-shedding affecting Karachi the “result of anti-people policies.” The party once again called for the immediate summoning of the Sindh Assembly.
The party also felicitated Qaim Ali Shah, Nisar Khuhro and Pir Mazharul Haq on being designated chef minister of Sindh, speaker of the Sindh Assembly and leader of the parliamentary party in the Sindh Assembly respectively, saying the decisions were an echo of the voice of the workers’ hearts, adding that once the new dispensation takes the reins, Sindh’s problems would be solved.
After the press conference, the woman who claimed she was raped at the Quaid’s mausoleum on March 15 made an appearance and was seen being comforted by MPA Shehla Raza as a swarm of media-men surrounded her and her family.
Ms Raza later told Dawn that Qaim Ali Shah had assigned two lawyers to help the woman get justice, while the party would offer the victim its “moral support.”