LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Saturday that Prime Minister Imran Khan is left with three days to resign; otherwise, he should dissolve assemblies and pave way for fresh elections.
While addressing a public rally in Okara, he also demanded the restoration of student unions in the country. Throughout his public address right from Multan to Pattoki, Bilawal has been stressing reviving the party among youngsters, farmers and old party workers.
He has been repeatedly describing pro-farmers and pro-people steps of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Also, Bilawal has urged the participants of his Awami March to support him in removing Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.
The media cell of the party had also shared pictures of large containers blocking roads in Pattoki to restrict citizens from approaching the site dedicated for a public address by Bilawal Bhutto.
Bilawal issues ‘ultimatum’ to PM
Bilawal has linked the Peshawar blast to the government’s failure of implementing the National Action Plan (NAP) to counter-terrorism across the country and cited the increasing incidences of terrorism due to the PTI government’s incompetence in the face of terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, party sources said former PPP stalwart Nadeem Afzal Chan is all set to rejoin the party during Bilawal’s presence in the city on Sunday (today). Earlier, while addressing public rallies at different locations on his way to Lahore through Multan Road, Bilawal said students have resisted the dictatorial rules of General Ayub and General Zia-ul-Haq, which led to a ban on student unions by General Zia. Dictators and their supporters have had deprived students of their democratic rights, he said and added that the Sindh government has restored students’ unions and the PPP wants to see them restored all over the country.
According to him, the people of the country have given their verdict in favour of his Awami long march against a selected, incapable, and illegitimate government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He also condemned the terrorist attack in Peshawar and criticized the government for its inability to maintain law and order. The PPP had thwarted terror designs during its tenure of 2008-13, he said and vowed to continue defeating these extremists and terrorists in the future as well.
Bilawal said the PPP believes that the entire country could only be prosperous if the farmers’ community is prosperous. He said Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had extended the right of ownership to farmers.
According to him, Benazir Bhutto had instructed her government to buy the entire crop of potato when farmers were unable to get the return of their crop. She did not want the farmers to sleep hungry, he asserted.
On the other hand, he said, the present government has forced farmers to buy fertilizer from the black market. He said the PTI has brought destruction to the country in the name of change. The PPP chairman said that Benazir Bhutto had introduced 5 and 7 marla schemes but the PTI government could not offer a single house to anyone despite promising five million houses. Similarly, he said, the PPP had ensured an increase in pay and pensions while the present government has made thousands of Pakistanis unemployed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022