SHIGAR/ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressed a public gathering in Shigar ahead of Gilgit-Baltistan elections on Monday.
We have always demanded free and fair elections, and this is our demand in the past as well as today,
Bilawal said and urged the public to stamp the arrow symbol. Our manifesto is that we will secure the rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, he said. Our seats were snatched away in the past, yet even with only three seats we continued to serve the people wholeheartedly, he added.
The Field Marshal is trying to establish peace, and we too are against war. The prices of petrol and diesel have increased drastically. We pray that peace efforts succeed and that inflation decreases.
PPP is the voice of the poor and the party of the poor. PPP’s policies are always pro-poor. BISP is an example of this. In every difficult time, poor women across the country receive assistance through BISP. Only PPP can protect BISP and safeguard the poor, which is why PPP must be brought to victory.”
He said that some people want to sabotage BISP because they fear the philosophy and vision of Shaheed Quaid-e-Awam and Shaheed Bibi. Their proposal is to hand BISP over to the provinces, whereas throughout the world such programs are run by the federal government. “Does Gilgit-Baltistan have the resources to run such a program?” he asked. He added that when he was Foreign Minister, he even advised Afghanistan to create a similar successful program. Today, from Egypt to Brazil, countries are replicating BISP and running similar initiatives.
Bilawal said that our opponents want to control everything from Islamabad, whether it is Gwadar or Karachi. The decisions regarding Gilgit-Baltistan should be made by the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, and the decisions regarding Shigar should be made by the people of Shigar.
