LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto said on Thursday the party would start long march against the government from Karachi on 27th of February against the government which would culminate in Islamabad.

He was addressing a press conference after chairing a meeting of central executive committee (CEC) and federal council of the party at Bilawal House.

“We will present our demands in front of the people after reaching Islamabad,” he said. Bilawal also announced to hold rallies at the divisional level to support farmers’ community. However, he gave no specific date to this effect.

He said PPP would also hold a strike outside the parliament on the day when the government would get the mini-budget passed. He invited the general public, parliamentarians and other stakeholders to join the PPP on this occasion.

Responding to a query regarding the statement of DG ISPR, he said the PPP was demanding impartiality and neutrality of the establishment and it would welcome any such statement as the constitution and law do not allow any such role.

He said the PPP would also submit a detailed report on the modus operandi of rigging in 2018 elections to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) with a request to remove the government. According to him, the PPP would also get a white paper prepared by the party for exposing the economic failures of the government.

Bilawal read out a resolution passed by the CEC of the party, condemning the mini-budget, historic price escalation, agriculture crisis, gas crisis, unprecedented poverty and unemployment in the country, and an increase in extremism and terrorism in the country.

He said the CEC had also expressed concerns over secret talks with Taliban and termed it surrendering by the state, saying the party would not accept any such surrender before the militancy. The CEC has also expressed grave concerns over the grim situation in Balochistan and an ill-planned merger of ex-tribal districts with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the government had deviated from the promises made with tribal areas, therefore, it should be reversed for a proper merger process.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022