Bilawal to start his political career by announcing party's election manifesto: Chandio

HYDERABAD: The Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Moula Bukhsh Chandio has said the Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would formally start his career in politics by announcing the party's election manifesto on December 27 at a public meeting in Larkana.

The occasion, which is being organized to commemorate the 5th death anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto at the mausoleum of Bhuttos in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh, would be addressed by Bilawal among the top cadre of the PPP's leadership, Chandio said in a press conference here on Tuesday.

"Unlike the young leadership in Punjab which is being grown in the plant pots, Bilawal will lead the election campaign with all his leadership qualities nurtured over a long period of political and academic grooming," he added.

The minister informed that hundreds of thousands of the party's workers would converge in Larkana to pay tribune to their martyred leader and to listen to Bilawal who would be making his first address at a massive public meeting.

When asked whether the PPP's event would in any way be a response to the large public meeting of Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) in Hyderabad on December 14, the minister said that the PPP did not believe in responding to a public meeting through a public meeting.

"Pir Sahib Pagara is a respectable personality of Sindh. He has his own popularity and following and they annually hold large public gatherings. But this time the only difference is that they have come out from the rural parts of the province to organize a public meeting in an urban area," he explained while describing the party's stance on the PML-F's meeting.

However, Chandio criticized the other political leaders who had address the meeting by saying that they used the platform and audience of PML-F to boast themselves.

The minister said that the PPP believes in democracy and its leaders had sacrificed their lives for democracy adding that the PPP welcomes any type of political activity.

"The public meetings and rallies don't correctly represent the overwhelming sentiment," he added.

Replying to a question that if the elections would be postponed due to the law and order situation and the voters' re-verification and delimitation process to be completed by the Election Commission of Pakistan in Karachi, Chandio said the PPP government would in no way let the elections be postponed.

When asked that will the PPP leaders accompany the Muttahida Qaumi Movement when it would appear before the Supreme Court in a contempt case on January 7, the minister said the party had not made a decision in that regard.

The minister was accompanied by provincial minister Zahid Bhurgari, MNA Pir Aftab Shah Jilani and other party leaders.

Earlier, they held a meeting to review preparations for sending caravans to attend the Dec. 27 public meeting.