PM needs U-turn on inflation, gas, power prices, his negativity

SUKKUR: The Pakistan People's Party Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Friday said that the 100 days in power had been nothing but a 100 days of U-turns and that if Prime Minister Imran Khan considers U-turns such an integral part of leadership he should take U-turns on inflation, expensive gas and power and on negative politics.

The PPP chairman was addressing a political gathering in Sukkur on the 51st Foundation Day of the Pakistan People's Party celebrated across the country on Friday.

He said that people's faith had never been shaken the way it had this time around when even before 100 days were up, people were fed up with "Naya Pakistan's doings".

"[The burden of] inflation has broken the backs of people. There is a shortage of gas, electricity, power. Unemployed youth are disappointed with life itself. Economic murder of farmers is being committed. There is no sign of the economy recovering. And this government refuses to get down from containers," he said lambasting the government's performance thus far.

He the war on terror was their war, criticising the prime minister for saying it was not. Bilawal said he told the prime minister that a leader stands by his commitment with the masses. "Khan sahib whether you admit or not, this is our war. What would have the heirs of martyrs felt when the prime minister said this was not our war?" he asked. "A leader fights for his people."

"We will not be able to extinguish these flames until our prime minister does not consider extremism and terrorism his personal mission. You tell me, when on Martyrs Day the premier stands before the heirs of the martyred and says 'this war is not our war' then one can only imagine what the families must have gone through," the PPP chairman said in a stark rebuke of the prime minister.

During his address, he also slammed the rulers for taking U-turns on their promises made with the people. About the use of religion for political gains, he said religion should not be dragged into politics and added that dictators used it for politics in the past. "The fire in which the entire country is burning today was ignited by the dictators," the PPP chairman said. He said Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, but this great religion was defamed on the pretext of terrorism. Bilawal said this fire of extremism, terrorism and non-tolerance had engulfed the society.

He said the federal government had a disastrous performance on economy. He advised the prime minister to undertake police reforms, judicial reforms and work on the NFC. He asked from Imran Khan that he had promised to depoliticise the bureaucracy, but transferred several officers, CPO Pakpattan and even the IGP Punjab. He also severely criticised the government for failure to act in time to save SSP Tahir who was kidnapped and subsequently killed in Afghanistan.

He asked BNP chief Akhtar Mengal that the prime minister had promised him action on missing persons and said the prime minister did not deliver on a single pledge but he was still aligned with him. Bilawal also asked from the MQM if Imran had delivered on a single pledge about Karachi. He said has water not been provided to Karachi and if the prime minister has helped eliminate poverty from the city whereas in fact he was destroying houses and shops of the poor in the name of anti-encroachment drive.

He said the promise of South Punjab province was sold by this government for a few ministries. He said the PPP was continuing its struggle for the South Punjab province. He asked why Imran Khan made vital projects like CPEC controversial. He said poor people are being rendered jobless in the name of encroachments but still the MQM stands with them.

The PPP chairman said the PTI government was still not ready to come down from container. He said the PTI government had damaged the national economy and it was carrying out a vendetta of political opponents in the name of accountability. The PPP chairman further said previously they were struggling against one 'favourite' individual, but now another has entered the political arena. "This is a unique blue-eyed boy who asked for a moon to play, but was handed over the whole country," he said. "The fate of this favourite will not be different from the previous one." Bilawal said this 'favourite' says one thing during the day and another at night, and keeps taking U-turns one after another.

Stressing the need to return to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's philosophy, he said if a person wants to become a leader then he should learn from ZA Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, who did not bow down before dictators. Bilawal said the ones aspiring to become leaders should also learn from the PPP workers

In his brief address, Asif Ali Zardari said the dictators have no political future and asked from them where were Zia and Musharraf.

Zardari said he facilitated the passage of the 18th Amendment to strengthen Pakistan, but many forces today wanted to sabotage it. He said some forces wanted to damage the country. He said the international forces used the Pakistani rulers, however PPP will defend Pakistan and the 18th Amendment. He told the people that he was handing over Bilawal to them and hoped that they will protect him.

Aitzaz Ahsan recalled Shaheed Z A Bhutto had set four principles for the party i.e. Islam is our religion, democracy is our politics, socialism is our economy and masses are our strength. But Shaheed Benazir Bhutto added another principle i.e. martyrdom is our destination. He said both ZAB and Benazir gave their lives for democracy and the country. He said that ZA Bhutto organized the Islamic Conference at Lahore, gave a democratic constitution and brought back 90,000 POWs from India.

Other PPP leaders including Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Nisar Khohro, Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Qamar Zaman Kaira also addressed the ceremony. Large number of workers from all over the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, participated.