People suffering because of inflation: Bilawal

SUKKUR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Saturday said that incompetent rulers had made the people cry of inflation.

He severely criticised the federal government, led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), over inflation, unemployment and poverty in the country. Addressing a workers’ convention in Tando Allah Yar, he said the PPP was the only party that could do opposition and compete the ‘selected’ in Centre. He said whenever an undemocratic and selected government ruled the country, it deprived masses of their basic rights.

He said the ‘selected’ government was now attacking from all sides, and depriving people of their human, democratic and economic rights. He said poverty rate in Pakistan was higher than Bangladesh and Afghanistan. He said the PTI government was a targeted government and its designs were to mar the future of poor people of Pakistan and attack their basic and fundamental rights. He said the people of Tando Allah Yar had remained part of the opposition movements including MRD [Movement for Restoration of Democracy], ARD [Alliance for Restoration of Democracy], and the people of the city had fought against the Zia [General Ziaul Haq] and [General Pervez] Musharraf dictatorships. He said there was a Public Service Commission [in every province] to provide jobs to unemployed people, but only the Sindh Public Service Commission had been abolished. The PPP chairman said people were not satisfied with the three-year rule of puppet Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said the PTI government had promised to provide housing units and jobs to people. But, instead, jobs and houses were being snatched from people. They even tried to snatch the job of the Sindh High Court chief justice. He said Imran Khan had promised to provide five million houses and 10 million jobs. But, houses had been demolished in the name of encroachments. “Even those who had jobs had been laid off in the last three years.” He pointed out that 10,000 employees of Steel Mills had been laid off, and now 16,000 more families were being deprived of jobs. He said those 16,000 employees were working for different Institutions including NHA, SSGC, State Life and others, and they were appointed by his martyred mother. He said it was the first and last government of the selected Khan Sahib. Bilawal alleged that the PTI-IMF deal had benefited the rich and harmed the poor. The people of Pakistan were now looking towards the PPP, which always speaks for the poor and gives them relief.

Bilawal Bhutto, meanwhile, postponed his scheduled visit of Hala to meet the Makhdoom family. A source in the PPP said the Makhdoom brothers had refused to meet Bilawal before addressing of their concerns.

A spokesman for the Makhdoom House, Ghulam Akbar Bhutto, said all arrangements for the visit were ready, but Bilawal cancelled his Hala visit due to his personal engagements.