KARACHI: PPP Co-Chairman and former President Asif Ali Zardari has challenged the political opponents not to write off the Peoples Party and vowed that they would fight on as the party is still popular in all the provinces, GB and Azad Kashmir.
Addressing a big public meeting at Kakri ground in Lyari on Sunday evening, Mr Asif Ali Zardari said he was not ready to accept that the PPP was no more popular and said their mandates had been stolen in the past as well. He conceded that forces working against the PPP created difficulties for them. He said there was a time when the PPP could not form government in Sindh during the days of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed but in the next elections, the party formed government at the centre and in Sindh.
The PPP Co Chairperson advised the workers not be disappointed over the election results and told them that the elections were only two and a half years away from now and they should start preparation for that time.
He said he will hold the PPP flag till Asifa Bhutto takes over, an indication that he was considering to introduce his daughter instead of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said time has come to handover the leadership of the party to the younger generation
He said whenever the mandate of the PPP was stolen in elections, it emerged more stronger and said the Lyari public meeting was the beginning of his meet the people programme and would be going to other provinces and cities for similar meetings.
Mr Asif Ali Zardari said they have decided that investment from China would not be allowed to derail in any case and for this purpose he held meetings with political leaders of the country. He told the people of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa that there would be no harm to their interests with the settlements of people from other provinces as a result of mega project. He said they would not be allowed to turn into minority and the 18th amendment provides a guarantee for this.
The PPP co chairperson announced a development package of one billion rupees for Lyari, Bilawal Bhutto Engineering college, low cost housing scheme consisting of flats and regularisation of contractual employees. He also assured that water shortage in Lyari would be overcome in three months.
He said he was elected from Lyari as MNA and his two children were also born here. He said the presence of the massive gathering was a proof that the area is still the citadel of the PPP.
Turing to situation in IHK, Mr Zardari said he was not doing any business with India and warned the Indian leadership not to victimise the Kashmiri brothers. He said a day would come when the Pakistanis, Indian Muslims and Kashmiris would strongly raise the Kashmir cause.
He also came hard on media outlets saying they were criticising PPP showing just to keep their channel’s rating.
INP