DERA MURAD JAMALI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari emphasized on Sunday that only two political parties, his own and the PML-N, remained in the electoral arena, urging the nation to support the ‘arrow’ in the forthcoming general election.
The remarks follow a day after the PTI lost the battle for its iconic ‘bat’ electoral symbol, compelling its candidates to participate in the polls as independents.
“Only two parties are left now,” Bilawal stated during a rally in Balochistan’s Dera Murad Jamali. “You have to decide between the PPP and the PML-N,” he added.
The former foreign minister emphasized that voters needed to use their ballots to decide whether they wanted the same political trajectory to persist or if they preferred “new thinking.”
“You have to decide if you want to entrust the country’s destiny to a person who served as prime minister thrice but failed to accomplish anything for the country,” Bilawal remarked, taking a dig at PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif.
“Or do you want to provide an opportunity to a party that includes everyone as the country progresses?” he questioned.
Bilawal underscored that the PPP engaged in politics and contested elections “for the poor,” contrasting it with the PML-N leader, whom he accused of participating in the polls to avoid imprisonment.
“I’m only contesting the polls so that I save you, the public, and the future of Pakistan from those people,” Bilawal asserted.
Taking another swipe at Nawaz, the PPP chief labeled the former premier as a coward, pledging to defeat the PML-N on their home turf of Lahore.
“I’m also contesting from Lahore. I will strike them inside their house,” he declared, asserting that the PML-N feared public sentiment. “They fear what the public will do to them if they step out,” he added.
Bilawal stated that in the February 8 election, there would be no ‘bat,’ and the competition would be between the ‘tiger’ and the ‘arrow,’ the electoral symbols for the PML-N and the PPP, respectively.
During his speech, Bilawal also committed to completing the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline to address Balochistan’s issues if the province voted in favor of the PPP.
“I want to send a message to Islamabad. The people in the provinces are dissatisfied with the rulers in Islamabad,” he said, emphasizing that the people did not approve of attempts to make Nawaz premier for the fourth time.
“The public is no one’s slave. The people of Balochistan have dignity and are brave. They do not bow down in front of anyone, they do not back down, and are not afraid either,” he asserted.
Bilawal vowed to establish a PPP-led government, contending that the country required the leadership of a party committed to serving the poor, unlike the PML-N, which he claimed only served the affluent.
He cautioned that the province would witness no development for the next five years if Nawaz became the premier.
“My first promise is that if you help in forming a PPP government, I will double your salary,” Bilawal pledged. “I will ensure that the poor throughout the country receive 300 MW of electricity for free,” he added. He also committed to constructing free educational and health institutions in every district of the province.
The PPP chairman also assured to introduce welfare schemes for farmers and the country’s youth, concluding his address by urging the people to vote for the PPP in the upcoming general elections.
Later, Bilawal addressed a rally in Sindh’s Khairpur, where other party leaders, including Qaim Ali Shah, also spoke on the occasion.
Bilawal promised the people of Sindh that the leaders they elect would not forget the public after winning the elections. He stated that he would personally visit Khairpur after the PPP won the election and inquire about the problems the people were facing. He attributed the PPP’s success in the upcoming elections to the voters in Sindh.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
