PPP to make law against forced conversions: Bilawal

Says if a Muslim can become president in India, why can’t someone from the minorities do so in Pakistan; PPP does not want separate Pakistan for Musharraf and Benazir,

Muslims and Hindus, men and women, rich and poor

UMERKOT: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Sindh has taken the lead in legislation like the Child Marriage Restraint Act, Women’s Protection Act and Hindu Marriage Act for the marginalised segments of society and soon the PPP would make a law against forced conversions.

He asked if a Muslim could be made president in India why could someone from the minorities not be made so in Pakistan.

Addressing a public gathering here on Thursday to celebrate the Holi festival, Bilawal said that the PPP was striving for a Pakistan where every citizen should enjoy equal rights and had equal opportunities according to the vision of the Quaid-i-Azam.

He assured the minority population of protection of their rights and said that the PPP’s manifesto was based on equality and it was striving to make Pakistan a country where men and women, the majority and minority, peasant and landlords, poor and rich, all had equal rights and opportunities.

The PPP chairman said that the PPP did not want a separate Pakistan for Pervez Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto, for the Muslims and the Hindus, for men and women, for the rich and the poor as he said that the PPP wanted equality for all citizens.

He said that the PPP had always raised its voice for the rights of women and minorities in Pakistan and it was evident from the history of the country that Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was accompanied by Quaid-i-Azam in the freedom struggle.

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had the support of Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto while he was being supported by his sisters Bakhtawar and Aseefa, he said.

“Every citizen including women and the minority communities have to play a proactive and efficient role for the development of Pakistan or else we cannot achieve progress while leaving women, minorities and other segments of society behind,” he said and appealed to women to strengthen his hands to achieve these goals.

The PPP chairman demanded of the National Assembly to legislate for the protection of minority rights.

He also praised the PPP’s Sindh government for announcing a public holiday on Holi.

Addressing the gathering, he criticised Pakistan the Tehreek-e-Insaf and said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had outsourced their governance and other functionaries.

He said that the passage of bill for the protection of women’s rights from the Punjab Assembly was a commendable act though the piece of legislation was weaker and could not completely protect women.

“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave a manifesto of Roti, Kapra aur Makan and struggled for the deprived and marginalised people of Pakistan,” Bilawal said and promised that he would follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and mother and carry forward their mission of empowerment of the downtrodden population and protection of their rights.

He said that Umerkot district was the abode of legendary characters like Marvi and Bakhtawar while people of the district always supported the PPP.  He regretted that in this modern era the people of Umerkot were deprived of natural gas despite the fact that Sindh was a major producer of natural gas in the country.

He demanded of the federal government to provide natural gas to the area.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Senior Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Adviser to the CM on Information Moula Bukhsh Chandio, provincial ministers Nasir Shah, Mukesh Chawla, Dost Muhammad, Giyan Chand Esrani, Jam Mehtab Dahar, MNAs Nawab Yousaf Talpur, Shafqat Shah Jilani Pir, Noor Muhammad Shah, Faqeer Sher Muhammad Bilalani, MPAs Khairun Nisa Mughal, Dr Khatoo Mal Jeevan, Dr Mahesh, Malani, Nawab Taimoor Talpur, Rubina Qaimkhani, Senators Aajiz Dhamrah, Hari Ram Kishorilal and the local cadre of the PPP were also present on the occasion.