50 years of unsung heroes of democracy: Govt, opposition need to unite for country: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said the government and the opposition needed to be on the same page to steer the country out of crises.

“PPP is preparing to form a committee, in which all the political parties would be invited to participate as an effort to form a code of conduct on the minimal agenda of running the Parliament, elections and cooperating for the betterment of the nation. If the mindset of ‘every party for itself’ is followed, then this will be the country’s loss,” he said while addressing the debut event for PPP’s initiative to celebrate 2023 as the Golden Jubilee Year of the Constitution and commemorate the 50 years of unsung heroes of democracy in Pakistan held in the Parliament House on Monday.

Former prime minister Senator Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani, former senator Farhatullah Babar, members of the National Assembly, Senate and the provincial assembly, civil society and media representatives were present on the occasion.

PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that in order to uphold the Constitution, “we will have to go through more difficult times and the latest selected rule was also a test for the Constitution”. “We are still going through a test and the loss that was sustained by the Constitution during Imran Khan’s tenure did not happen in any other era,” he added.

He said Imran Khan threatened the institutions and tried to undermine the Constitution, adding that the occurrence of events throughout the year will prepare “us to defend the democracy and combat any threats posed to it.”

“The opposition said that it would rather opt to talk to the Taliban who martyred the children at APS but not with the government,” he said. “We are going through unprecedented economic and political crises. We are making efforts to bring improvements to the system.”

He said: “Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gave us the Constitution, which protects the common people. If this Constitution is followed, the people will attain their rights.”

He said this is an opportunity to apprise the new generation of the Constitution given by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, which provided the right of ‘One Man, One Vote’. He added that before Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the poor people did not have the right to vote as only taxpayers could do so.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that the Constitution of Pakistan is the real guarantor of our freedom, adding that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto sacrificed their lives for democracy, the supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law in the country.

He said that the year 2023 marks the Golden Jubilee year of the Constitution, adding that the National Assembly Secretariat would organise various programmes to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Constitution in a grand manner. “In this regard, events would be organised in schools, colleges and universities across the country,” he added.

The NA speaker said that the purpose of celebrating the Golden Jubilee is to make our youth aware of the sacrifices made for democracy and the Constitution.

The NA speaker said that Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave a unified Constitution to this country and former president Asif Ali Zardari restored Pakistan to its original state and returned powers to the Parliament.

Former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Ali Gilani and former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani also paid a rich tribute to the unsung heroes who sacrificed their lives for the supremacy of the Constitution.

They said that the unified Constitution of 1973 has given protection to the federation, adding that by upholding the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law, the problems faced by the country could be mitigated and it could be brought on the path of development.