PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday urged Gilgit-Baltistan voters to give his party a “heavy” mandate by securing a majority in order to safeguard the region’s rights. Bilawal was addressing a rally in Ghizer, amid a series of rallies across GB as the PPP and other political parties have, over the past few days, ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls. Referring to the nine seats the PPP had won in the last GB elections, Bilawal claimed other seats had been stolen. However, this time, “no one can steal seats from you, and this means that all three of Ghizer’s seats will be yours,” he added. Of other political parties in the running, he said the party wanted a “heavy majority in GB — not for me, but for you” so that together they could complete Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s and Benazir Bhutto’s “incomplete” mission in the region. The PPP chairman highlighted the achievements of those that came before him, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s subsidies that continued to benefit the region and Benazir Bhutto’s giving Ghizer the status of a district. President Asif Ali Zardari, he added, had given GB its Assembly, identity, governor and chief minister: “now it is my turn and yours”. “It is the new generation’s responsibility to get more rights for GB,” he said, adding that he wanted the mandate from the region so that he could demand that Islamabad listen to the wishes of the GB people “before making any other provinces”. Bilawal particularly stressed the need for a PPP majority, including all three Ghizer seats, in order to act on the right of sovereignty promised to the people. He noted that 28,000 square kilometres of land in GB had previously belonged to the state, saying that it was due to the GB people, the PPP and its Assembly members that legislation was passed in the Assembly to render it “your land, common land” according to law. “The people that say the PPP does not deliver on their promises — remind them that we have been in politics for three generations,” he said. “And for three generations we have had a record of being true to our word; when we make promises we deliver on them.” He added, “Now what’s left? I want to deliver on this legislation. If I don’t get a government, if i don’t get all three of these seats in Ghizer; if I don’t get the seats in Baltistan, all of Gilgit, all of the Diamer division; if I am stopped from installing my chief minister, then I know … that whether it is the PML-N or another party, they will tear up our legislation like a piece of paper. They will not deliver on it and my promise will remain incomplete.” Bilawal also highlighted the right of ownership as a major reason to vote for the PPP, stating that the party wanted to give the ownership of arable land to the people of the region. He also highlighted the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood-Affectees (SPHF) programme , in which two million houses were being built for flood-affected people with ownership of the houses and land being given to the people themselves. He termed the venture the “biggest land transfer in Pakistan’s history” since the land reforms made by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, adding that it had created one million jobs in Sindh. He declared his intention of creating a similar housing scheme in GB, starting from Ghizer, in order to support those who had also been affected by natural disasters and flooding in the region. Alongside the right to sovereignty and ownership, the PPP chairman also reaffirmed his commitment to the third party promise of the “right to employment”. He compared the PPP with other parties, stating that while PPP politicians competed to see who could create the most jobs — “whether government, private sector, public-private sector, outside the country, via technical education, skills” — other political parties instead competed “to see how many people they can make unemployed”. “After the PPP government left, no provincial government of GB has given jobs — they have stolen them,” he said. He declared this the “foundational difference” between the PPP and other parties: “The PPP gives employment; they steal employment.” He pledged that if elected, the PPP would do whatever was possible to create job opportunities, whether in the government sector or private sector, particularly for the unemployed youth. More to follow
At Ghizer rally, Bilawal urges voters to give PPP ‘heavy mandate’ to safeguard region’s rights
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday urged Gilgit-Baltistan voters to give his party a “heavy” mandate by securing a majority in order to safeguard the region’s rights. Bilawal was addressing a rally in Ghizer, amid a series of rallies across GB as the PPP and other political parties have, over the past few days, ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls. Referring to the nine seats the PPP had won in the last GB elections, Bilawal claimed other seats had been stolen. However, this time, “no one can steal seats from you, and this means that all three of Ghizer’s seats will be yours,” he added. Of other political parties in the running, he said the party wanted a “heavy majority in GB — not for me, but for you” so that together they could complete Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s and Benazir Bhutto’s “incomplete” mission in the region. The PPP chairman highlighted the achievements of those that came before him, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s subsidies that continued to benefit the region and Benazir Bhutto’s giving Ghizer the status of a district. President Asif Ali Zardari, he added, had given GB its Assembly, identity, governor and chief minister: “now it is my turn and yours”. “It is the new generation’s responsibility to get more rights for GB,” he said, adding that he wanted the mandate from the region so that he could demand that Islamabad listen to the wishes of the GB people “before making any other provinces”. Bilawal particularly stressed the need for a PPP majority, including all three Ghizer seats, in order to act on the right of sovereignty promised to the people. He noted that 28,000 square kilometres of land in GB had previously belonged to the state, saying that it was due to the GB people, the PPP and its Assembly members that legislation was passed in the Assembly to render it “your land, common land” according to law. “The people that say the PPP does not deliver on their promises — remind them that we have been in politics for three generations,” he said. “And for three generations we have had a record of being true to our word; when we make promises we deliver on them.” He added, “Now what’s left? I want to deliver on this legislation. If I don’t get a government, if i don’t get all three of these seats in Ghizer; if I don’t get the seats in Baltistan, all of Gilgit, all of the Diamer division; if I am stopped from installing my chief minister, then I know … that whether it is the PML-N or another party, they will tear up our legislation like a piece of paper. They will not deliver on it and my promise will remain incomplete.” Bilawal also highlighted the right of ownership as a major reason to vote for the PPP, stating that the party wanted to give the ownership of arable land to the people of the region. He also highlighted the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood-Affectees (SPHF) programme , in which two million houses were being built for flood-affected people with ownership of the houses and land being given to the people themselves. He termed the venture the “biggest land transfer in Pakistan’s history” since the land reforms made by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, adding that it had created one million jobs in Sindh. He declared his intention of creating a similar housing scheme in GB, starting from Ghizer, in order to support those who had also been affected by natural disasters and flooding in the region. Alongside the right to sovereignty and ownership, the PPP chairman also reaffirmed his commitment to the third party promise of the “right to employment”. He compared the PPP with other parties, stating that while PPP politicians competed to see who could create the most jobs — “whether government, private sector, public-private sector, outside the country, via technical education, skills” — other political parties instead competed “to see how many people they can make unemployed”. “After the PPP government left, no provincial government of GB has given jobs — they have stolen them,” he said. He declared this the “foundational difference” between the PPP and other parties: “The PPP gives employment; they steal employment.” He pledged that if elected, the PPP would do whatever was possible to create job opportunities, whether in the government sector or private sector, particularly for the unemployed youth. More to follow